Assets and liabilities are the momentum of particles and antiparticles displayed in Feynman-graphs

An analogy between assets and liabilities and the momentum of particles and antiparticles (called actons and passons) is proposed. It allows physicist s to use physical methods in economy for the analysis of monetary systems a nd for the analysis of double entry bookkeeping. Economists can use it to s ubdivide and discuss complicated balance transactions in terms of Feynman-g raphs which introduce the time dimension to bookkeeping. Within the analogy , assets and liabilities come into existence by pair creation. Conservation of momentum is fulfilled whereas the conservation of energy corresponds to the regulation of a constant amount of money. Interest rates accelerate th e particles by imposing a negative friction. The statistical description of an ideal money gas is derived and the transcription to semiconductor physi cs is given. The analogy is hoped to open a new field for physics and to re veal new insights on monetary systems. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.