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Re: A question on inelastic relativistic collisions



Hi all-
Ed Schweber asks:
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Anyway, I was wondering: Since in special relativity, momentum and energy
are merged into a single four vector whose components will be different for
different moving observers, does that mean that the amount of heat lost in
an inelastic collision is relative to the observer?

If so, what does that do to specific heats and latent heats. Do these
also become relativistic quantities?

What about Kelvin temperature. Is that absolute or relativistic? Kelvin
temperature is proportional to the average KE per molecule and would not
that average KE be relative to the motion of the observer?
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Since you have not defined the term "heat loss" in your question,
the question cannot be answered.
I would define "heat loss" in an invariant way, namely, as the
energy deficit in the center of mass system of the colliding systems.
The answer, then, will be the same for all observers (trivially).
Regards,
Jack

"I scored the next great triumph for science myself,
to wit, how the milk gets into the cow. Both of us
had marveled over that mystery a long time. We had
followed the cows around for years - that is, in the
daytime - but had never caught them drinking fluid of
that color."
Mark Twain, Extract from Eve's
Autobiography