The property of an object that determines how much it responds to a force in Newtonian mechanics, and how much it interacts with gravity in the Newtonian framework. Mass also refers to the intrinsic energy of a particle in particle physics.
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3answers
176 views
How can mass affect spacetime?
In General Relativity Theory, mass can warp spacetime. However, in my view interaction only occurs between pieces of matter. Spacetime is not matter; how can it be affected by matter?
0
votes
2answers
191 views
Photons in a gravitational field
I have been really staring for a while in a MP-Beiser book and I totally disagree with a statement he does there. On a page 85 he states that photons act as they have a mass $m$. He derives this by ...
3
votes
4answers
346 views
Does $p=mc$ hold for photons?
Known that $E=hf$, $p=hf/c=h/\lambda$, then if $p=mc$, where $m$ is the (relativistic) mass, then $E=mc^2$ follows directly as an algebraic fact. Is this the case?
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1answer
118 views
Suppose a hollow metal sphere filled with helium is dropped in a body of water
What are the conditions that would cause said sphere to sink or float?
What if the sphere was full of ice instead?
0
votes
1answer
93 views
Effect on mass of Earth if it stops revolving around Sun
If the object in motion gains mass, will it affect the change in mass of Earth if it stops revolving around Sun, since mass is responsible for gravity how will be the gravitational force change?
8
votes
3answers
3k views
What's the difference between the five masses: inertial mass, gravitational mass, rest mass, invariant mass and relativistic mass?
I have learned in my physics classes about five different types of masses and I am confused about the differences between them.
What's the difference between the five masses:
inertial mass,
...
7
votes
3answers
460 views
What is the exact gravitational force between two masses including relativistic effects?
I was wondering if there is a closed-form formula for the force between two masses $m_1$ and $m_2$ if relativistic effects are included. My understanding is that the classic formula $G \frac{m_1 ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
Photons and Relativity
Consider a Photon from Sun and travels with a velocity $c$. Now think we are that photon. For us, it looks like Sun is moving away from us with a velocity $c$. So, why don't we get attracted back ...
2
votes
4answers
176 views
The building blocks of energy
I have a couple of related questions that have been bothering me for a while. They might sound unscientific, but here is goes:
What are the building blocks of energy? What does energy consist of? Is ...
2
votes
6answers
2k views
What is Energy made of?
We have the famous equation $E = mc^2$, and we also believe that matter is made of particles.
Then, What is the energy made of? If the two are interchangeable, there must be some common building ...
10
votes
2answers
286 views
How does rest mass become energy?
I know that there's a difference between relativistic rest mass. Relativistic mass is "acquired" when an object is moving at speeds comparable to the speed of light.Rest mass is the inherent mass that ...
4
votes
0answers
23 views
Classic mass predictions from Left-Right models with discrete symmetries?
I am covering the classic literature on predictions of Cabibbo angle or other relationships in the mass matrix. As you may remember, this research was a rage in the late seventies, after noticing that ...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
How does Higgs Boson get the rest mass?
Higgs Boson detected at LHC is massive. It has high relativistic mass means it has non-zero rest mass.
Higgs Boson gives other things rest mass. But, how does it get rest mass by itself?
4
votes
2answers
168 views
Does the Chandrasekhar Limit scale for a Black Hole?
No physicist/astrophysicist I; All I know about the Chandrasekhar limit is that it apparently limits the mass a star may survive, beyond which it degenerates to a neutron star, or a black-hole.
Does ...
2
votes
1answer
115 views
Planetary Gravity and its effects
This is my first question on the Physics portion of Stack Exchange. I was hoping to get some light on the topic of gravity. I don't have much background knowledge of physics so I might as well start ...
2
votes
1answer
227 views
Mass of Milky Way Supermassive Black Hole
I am looking at data from Andrea Ghez (2005; ADS link) which states the mass of the supermassive black hole in the MW. Here's what I don't understand: She reports the value as $3.7 \times 10^6 ...
6
votes
1answer
446 views
How do we know the masses of single stars?
I have recently read that we can only know the masses of stars in binary systems, because we use Kepler's third law to indirectly measure the mass. However, it is not hard to find measurements for the ...
0
votes
2answers
164 views
Why equivalence principle is principle and not law?
We can prove that the inertial mass and the gravitational mass should be the same (equivalence principle) from the $f=mg=ma$ then $g=a$, so we have equivalence law! But why we said equivalence ...
0
votes
0answers
64 views
Converting $q/m_e$ to $C/kg$ [closed]
I was doing some chemistry problems when I came across a question asking to find the charge to mass ratio of an electron in $q/m_e$. Then, it told me to compare what I found to the accepted value, at ...
2
votes
0answers
114 views
Do all the particles acquire mass in the Standard Model due to the Higgs mechanism only?
I know that a mass term for an intermediate boson is not compatible with the gauge symmetry. But in principle a mass term for the electron field does not violate a gauge symmetry. However to build an ...
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votes
1answer
146 views
What will happen when measuring unmeasurable object?
There is a set called Vitali Set which is not Lebesgue measurable.
Analogously, there also exists a Vitali set $Y$ in $\mathbb R^3$ which is a subset of $[0,1]^3$ and $|Y\cap q|=1$ for all $q\in ...
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votes
6answers
1k views
What does it mean to say that mass “approaches infinity”?
What does it mean to say that mass "approaches infinity"?
I have read that mass of a body increases with the speed and when the body reaches the speed of light, the mass becomes infinity.
What ...
1
vote
4answers
416 views
Why can't missing mass be photons?
After a star lives and dies, I assume virtually all of it's mass would be photons. If enough stars have already lived and died, couldn't there be enough photon energy out there to account for all the ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Have I discovered how to calculate the proton's mass using only integers?
Could it be possible that the mass of the proton can be calculated by a series of integer sequences? Or is this just a curiosity?
$$\sum_{m=1}^{\infty } \frac{1}{10^{26}(m^2+1)_{2m}}=$$
...
4
votes
2answers
251 views
What is the relation between the Higgs field and chirality?
Wikipedia states that the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry "is responsible for the bulk of the mass (over 99%) of the nucleons".
How do the nucleons gain mass from the spontaneous breaking of ...
0
votes
3answers
928 views
Why is force described as rate of change of momentum?
momentum = mass * velocity
Differentiating both sides leads to
force = mass * acceleration
since the mass doesn't participate in the differentiation as it is constant.
Is this a sound ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views
What is the definition of density as a function?
(Before I start, I don't know which tag is suitable for this post. Please retag my post if it bothers you.)
Let's say there is a string on $[0,1]$ with a mass given by $m(x)$. ($m(x)$ means the mass ...
0
votes
1answer
240 views
Mass points of a Mass-spring model
Let's say I have a mass spring model like the one in the picture below:
So, there are 3 parts of the spring joined together in an equilateral triangular manner. Each of the joints has a mass of ...
1
vote
0answers
76 views
Glueball mass in non-abelian Yang Mills theory
How can the glueball mass be calculated in Yang Mills theory?
0
votes
3answers
93 views
Center Of Mass Troubles
I understand the concept of Center Of Mass(com), but I am having a difficult time interpreting the equation of the simplified case of one-dimension.
The book I am reading defines the position of the ...
4
votes
2answers
132 views
What is the meaning of negative mass (in a SUSY spectrum)?
I was playing around with SuSpect to generate some SUSY mass spectrums and I'm often encountering situations where I get a negative neutralino mass.
What is the physical meaning of this negative ...
3
votes
4answers
549 views
Relativistic momentum
I have been trying to derive why relativistic momentum is defined as $p=\gamma mv$.
I set up a collision between 2 same balls ($m_1 = m_2 = m$). Before the collision these two balls travel one ...
1
vote
3answers
306 views
If something weighs 25 kg, how do I find the mass of the object?
An object is falling and it weighs 25 kg (on a scale, presumably). What is its mass?
I know that weight is measured in Newtons and mass in kilograms, but what if a problem states that something ...
0
votes
1answer
171 views
Question about finding $k$ in Hooke's Law
My textbook (Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Dennis Zill) offers the following explanation of Hooke's Law:
By Hooke's Law, the spring itself exerts a restoring force $F$ opposite to the ...
2
votes
2answers
151 views
Is there any law that prevents an object with mass to become massless?
I got into a discussion with my physics teacher about the speed of light and I asked
What if an object with mass was to lose mass as it gained speed-- would that allow for an object to eventually ...
0
votes
4answers
217 views
Mass-Energy relation
Einstein mass- energy relation states $E=mc^2$. It means if energy of a paricle increases then mass also increases or vice-versa.
My question is that what is the actual meaning of the statement ...
0
votes
1answer
56 views
Is $kg_f$ the same everywhere in the universe?
A textbook question says that a vehicle weighs $25kg_f$ on Earth, and asks us to consider certain issues related to its behaviour on the moon.
My question is, does the unit kilogram-force $kg_f$ ...
3
votes
1answer
162 views
Does the Photino have mass or is it mass-less like the photon
Does the photino in super-symmetry have a mass, Or is this different in different super symmetric models?
3
votes
1answer
283 views
Why is mass renormalization insufficient to explain electron mass?
In the Standard Model, I understand that the mass of the electron is assume to arise from two effects:
A bare mass given by Yukawa interaction with the Higgs field, and
A mass correction from mass ...
2
votes
5answers
369 views
Planck mass is about the mass of one eyebrow hair
Unlike most Planck units named after "Planck" such as Planck length, Planck temperature, etc, the Planck mass seems more closed to daily life. It is about $10^{-5}$g, same order of magnitude of one ...
3
votes
2answers
303 views
What is the role of the vacuum expectation value in symmetry breaking and the generation of mass?
Consider a theory of one complex scalar field with the following Lagrangian.
$$
\mathcal{L}=\partial _\mu \phi ^*\partial ^\mu \phi +\mu ^2\phi ^*\phi -\frac{\lambda}{2}(\phi ^*\phi )^2.
$$
The ...
13
votes
9answers
1k views
What is the difference between weight and mass?
My science teacher is always saying the words "weight of an object" and "mass of an object," but then my physics book (that I read on my own) tells me completely different definitions from the way ...
2
votes
1answer
205 views
What bends fabric of space-time?
I know that mass can bend fabric of space-time, which causes gravity by making an object curve around a planet or star but is there anything else that can bend it?
Other energy sources, forces ...
6
votes
3answers
261 views
What is the massless limit of massive electromagnetism?
Consider electromagnetism, an abelian gauge theory, with a massive photon. Is the massless limit equal to electromagnetism? What does it happen at the quantum level with the extra degree of freedom? ...
3
votes
2answers
285 views
Matter waves - DeBroglie's relations
I am currently studying from Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Taylor et al. They derive the DeBroglie relation $p=h/\lambda$ from setting mass $m=0$ in the energy-momentum relation ...
1
vote
1answer
138 views
Is $w=mg$ the right way to calculate mass?
How can you find the mass of an object by using a weight and a gravitational acceleration from another planet then earth? I was given $5.8\text{ N}$ and an acceleration of $4.0\ \mathrm{m/s^2}$. The ...
5
votes
3answers
374 views
What is the mass of a wave?
The slide called "QUANTA" here says that "One Quantum has a definite mass" and the picture shows a wave. So, What is meant by the mass of a wave?
47
votes
14answers
69k views
How Does Mass Leave the Body When you Lose Weight?
When your body burns calories and you lose weight, obviously mass is leaving your body. In what form does it leave? In other words, what is the physical process by which the body loses weight when ...
0
votes
1answer
83 views
Why the kilogram is not defined? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why do we still not have an exact definition for a kilogram?
I was thinking about SI units. I found the following definition for the base units:
Meter: distance ...
0
votes
2answers
215 views
Center of mass of a car
This might be little of the track but my question is more on possibility of application of principle of center of mass.
The probability of a vehicle overturning depends more on the level of center of ...
