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Equation 13 · The Atlas That Refuses to Close

What does this equation mean?

Xμ(u,Σ)=∫Σxμ Tαβuα dΣβ∫ΣTαβuα dΣβ.X^\mu(u,\Sigma) = \frac{\int_\Sigma x^\mu\, T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta}{\int_\Sigma T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta}.

Read the formula alongside the article passage below. Each part has a deeper page with its role in the equation, the supporting passage and nearby citations.

Start withint_Sigma x^mu T^αβu_α dSigma_β
Divide byint_Sigma T^αβu_α dSigma_β
This relates toX^mu(u,Sigma)
How to read the two sides of this formula. Follow the article passage for the meaning of each quantity.

This equation states an equality: the expressions on both sides have the same value under the article’s assumptions. Read the equation part by part below; each part has a contextual explanation and a link to its mathematical background.

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XμX^\mu

Symbol X^mu

the leaving.

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uu

Symbol u

u is an argument of the function-like quantity on the left; its role is set by that function’s stated inputs.

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Σ\Sigma

Symbol Sigma

a spacelike hypersurface and uμu^\mu the four-velocity of the observer whose notion of simultaneity Σ\Sigma represents.

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xμx^\mu

Symbol x^mu

a spacetime coordinate, units of length.

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TαβT^{\alpha\beta}

Symbol T^αβ

an energy-momentum density, units of energy per volume.

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uαu_\alpha

Symbol u_α

u_α is an input to the expression that computes the quantity on the left.

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dd

Symbol d

d is an input to the expression that computes the quantity on the left.

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Σβ\Sigma_\beta

Symbol Sigma_β

a spacelike hypersurface and uμu^\mu the four-velocity of the observer whose notion of simultaneity Σ\Sigma represents with subscript beta (a directed three-volume element on Σ\Sigma , units of volume).

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=

=

The expressions on both sides represent the same quantity under the stated assumptions.

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fraction

fraction

Divide the expression above the line by the one below it.

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superscript

superscript

A raised number can be a power. When it is a label or bound, it selects a case or the upper limit of a sum; the formula’s structure distinguishes these uses.

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∫Σxμ Tαβuα dΣβ\int_\Sigma x^\mu\, T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta

Numerator: int_Sigma x^mu T^αβu_α dSigma_β

The complete quantity above the fraction bar.

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∫ΣTαβuα dΣβ\int_\Sigma T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta

Denominator: int_Sigma T^αβu_α dSigma_β

The complete quantity below the fraction bar; it must be nonzero for this division.

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Σ\Sigma

Starting index or lower bound: Sigma

This label says where the repeated addition, multiplication, or accumulation starts. Read its value or condition together with the article’s description of the index.

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Σ\Sigma

Starting index or lower bound: Sigma

This label says where the repeated addition, multiplication, or accumulation starts. Read its value or condition together with the article’s description of the index.

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How to interpret it

With a fixed numerator, increasing a nonzero denominator reduces the fraction. Read it with the definitions, units, and assumptions supplied by the article.

What the article says around this equation

Naming the slice is the first entry in this atlas’s notation. Let Σ\Sigma be a spacelike hypersurface and uμu^\mu the four-velocity of the observer whose notion of simultaneity Σ\Sigma represents, with Σ\Sigma taken orthogonal to u . Replace the discrete sum with the body’s stress-energy tensor TαβT^{\alpha\beta} and define the energy centroid Xμ(u,Σ)=∫Σxμ Tαβuα dΣβ∫ΣTαβuα dΣβX^\mu(u,\Sigma) = \frac{\int_\Sigma x^\mu\, T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta}{\int_\Sigma T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta}. Every quantity here has a declared type. TαβT^{\alpha\beta} is an energy-momentum density, units of energy per volume; dΣβ\Sigma_\beta is a directed three-volume element on Σ\Sigma , units of volume; uαu_\alpha is dimensionless once normalized to uμu^\mu uμu_\mu = -1 ; xμx^\mu is a spacetime coordinate, units of length. The factor…
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Naming the slice is the first entry in this atlas’s notation. Let Σ\Sigma be a spacelike hypersurface and uμu^\mu the four-velocity of the observer whose notion of simultaneity Σ\Sigma represents, with Σ\Sigma taken orthogonal to u . Replace the discrete sum with the body’s stress-energy tensor TαβT^{\alpha\beta} and define the energy centroid Xμ(u,Σ)=∫Σxμ Tαβuα dΣβ∫ΣTαβuα dΣβX^\mu(u,\Sigma) = \frac{\int_\Sigma x^\mu\, T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta}{\int_\Sigma T^{\alpha\beta}u_\alpha\, d\Sigma_\beta}. Every quantity here has a declared type. TαβT^{\alpha\beta} is an energy-momentum density, units of energy per volume; dΣβ\Sigma_\beta is a directed three-volume element on Σ\Sigma , units of volume; uαu_\alpha is dimensionless once normalized to uμu^\mu uμu_\mu = -1 ; xμx^\mu is a spacetime coordinate, units of length. The factor TαβT^{\alpha\beta}uαu_\alpha\, dΣβ\Sigma_\beta appears in numerator and denominator identically and cancels completely, leaving XμX^\mu with units of length — a genuine spacetime point, not a bookkeeping artefact. That is the atlas’s first check, a unit audit passed by construction rather than coincidence, because the same weighting sits on both sides of the ratio.

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