Polyrhythmic said:It is caused by a force, yes. But the process that happens at the very moment of the annihilation? Is it correct to say that this is part of the force as well?
Drakkith said:I don't believe so. A force is:
In physics, a force is any influence that causes a free body to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape.
The electromagnetic force causes the attraction between anti particles which leads to annihilation. The annihilation itself uses forces to convert the particles into other particles.
Islam Hassan said:So to summarise, a particle and its anti-particle are drawn together by the electromagnetic force and then annihilate themselves via other forces by the total conversion of mass into boatloads of massless gauge bosons. In that case the 'other forces' must be the strong force since weak force gauge bosons have mass.
Is this correct? And what about a neutrino + anti-neutrino annihilation? Surely they are not drawn together by the electromagnetic force...
IH
Drakkith said:I'm not sure honestly.
Drakkith said:It doesn't have to be a high energy collision.
Also, depending on the particles that are annihilating you can have many different particles produced. Electron-positron commonly produce two photons, while proton-antiproton produces many different particles in addition to photons.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_antiproton_annihilation
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron–positron_annihilation
Annihilation is not considered a force because it does not involve an exchange of particles between two objects. Forces are typically described as interactions between two objects that result in a change in motion or position. Annihilation, on the other hand, involves the complete conversion of matter into energy.
In certain situations, annihilation can be considered a force. For example, in nuclear fusion reactions, the process of annihilation between particles can create a strong force that holds the nucleus of an atom together. However, this force is not considered a fundamental force like gravity or electromagnetism.
Annihilation is often referred to as a reaction because it involves the transformation of matter into energy, rather than a physical force acting on an object. It is a process that occurs between particles, rather than an interaction between objects.
In a sense, annihilation can be considered a destructive force because it results in the complete destruction of matter. However, it is not a force in the traditional sense, as it does not act on objects to cause a change in motion or position.
Annihilation differs from other forces in several ways. Firstly, it is not a fundamental force like gravity or electromagnetism. Secondly, it does not act on objects to cause a change in motion or position, but instead involves the complete conversion of matter into energy. Lastly, it is a process that occurs between particles, rather than an interaction between objects.