Relativistic angular momentum can be compactly abbreviated in tensor index notation where the indices "i" and "j" take the values 1, 2, 3. On the other hand, the components can be systematically displayed fully in a 3 × 3 antisymmetric matrix This quantity is additive, and for an isolated system, the total angular momentum of a system is conserved. In classical mechanics, the three-dimensional quantity for a particle of mass "m" moving with velocity u has the dimensions of "mass moment" – length multiplied by mass. It is related to the boost (relative velocity) of the centre of mass (COM) of the particle
Binary mass function hole), the mass function becomes formula_33 and since formula_34 for formula_35, the mass function gives a lower limit on the mass of the unseen object 2. In general, for any formula_20 or formula_3, formula_38 In an orbit with eccentricity formula_39, the mass function is given by formula_40 If the accretor in an X-ray binary has a minimum mass that significantly exceeds the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit (the maximum possible mass for a neutron star), it is expected to be a black hole. This is the case in Cygnus X-1, for example, where the radial velocity of the companion star has been measured.