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Equation 24 · Part 9 · The Valley of Stability Is a Fitness Landscape

Symbol delta

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)
δ\delta

What this part means

delta 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

delta 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

…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 parabola with one minimum: one value of Z at that mass number is the most tightly bound, and every other isobar…

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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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