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Equation 24 · Part 5 · The Valley of Stability Is a Fitness Landscape

Symbol α

M(A,Z) c2≈α(A)−β(A) Z+γ(A) Z2∓δ(A)M(A,Z)\,c^2 \approx \alpha(A) - \beta(A)\,Z + \gamma(A)\,Z^2 \mp \delta(A)
α\alpha

What this part means

α is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.

Its job in the formula

α is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.

The passage around this formula

…and asymmetry terms in the semi-empirical mass formula are both approximately quadratic in Z at fixed A , the atomic mass along an isobaric chain is, to good approximation, a parabola in Z : M(A,Z) c2≈α(A)−β(A) Z+γ(A) Z2∓δ(A)M(A,Z)\,c^2 \approx \alpha(A) - \beta(A)\,Z + \gamma(A)\,Z^2 \mp \delta(A). where α\alpha , β\beta , and γ\gamma collect the volume, surface, Coulomb, and asymmetry contributions and the pairing term δ(A)\delta(A) shifts the curve up or down depending on whether N and Z are both even or both odd. For odd A , exactly one of N , Z is even and the pairing term vanishes, giving a single…

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A function assigns an output to each allowed input. The expression f(x) means “apply f to x”.

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