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Robbo

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It is widely accpeted that the photon (light) has zero mass but it can be assigned a relativistic mass by virtue of its energy value.

Any more than that is gonna be beyond the scope of this forum and only proof that people can 'copy and paste' from other web sites if further indulged :)

It's best left alone from hereon in :)
 

mikey601

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Originally posted by Robbo
It is widely accpeted that the photon (light) has zero mass but it can be assigned a relativistic mass by virtue of its energy value.

Any more than that is gonna be beyond the scope of this forum and only proof that people can 'copy and paste' from other web sites if further indulged :)

It's best left alone from hereon in :)
You dont have much faith in your fellow forum users robbo?

;)
 

chrismrgn

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Lol so all my little piece was bollocks?!?!

When you say that the photon has a "relativistic mass be virtue of its energy value" what is that relative to? Other waves? Or other particles?
 

Robbo

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Originally posted by mikey601
You dont have much faith in your fellow forum users robbo?

;)
I was just trying to be diplomatic but also extremely mindful of the fact our forum plays host to a few 'copy and pasters'......... :)
 

Skeet

Platinum Member
Originally posted by Robbo
I was just trying to be diplomatic but also extremely mindful of the fact our forum plays host to a few 'copy and pasters'......... :)
Not me in this instance, though I am sure you were not referring to me...my little bit of info is common knowledge or so I am lead to believe..as is teh fact that it takes around 8 mins for teh light from our Sun, to reach Earth...
I know all sorts of generally useless crap liek that..comes from reading too many Readers Digest offerings when I was a mere youngster!

I even know that LASER is an abbreviation...and what it stands for!!:D
 

Dominus-UK

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And interestingly enough at the speed of light, energy becomes mass. Which is interesting because a light particle is (always) travelling at that speed, so it's own energy should become mass.

Or perhaps that I'm understanding it wrong and that the energy required to push a particle faster than the speed of light is turned into mass, and that so photons are in a constant state of equilibrium..
 

Robbo

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Originally posted by Dominus-UK
And interestingly enough at the speed of light, energy becomes mass. Which is interesting because a light particle is (always) travelling at that speed, so it's own energy should become mass.

Or perhaps that I'm understanding it wrong and that the energy required to push a particle faster than the speed of light is turned into mass, and that so photons are in a constant state of equilibrium..

Dom, I think you might understand it better if you think of a photon as only ever acquiring mass by virtue of it's velocity (energy) hence the term 'relativisitic' mass.

A photon's rest mass is zero.
 

KitsuneAndy

Platinum Member
Originally posted by Robbo
Dom, I think you might understand it better if you think of a photon as only ever acquiring mass by virtue of it's velocity (energy) hence the term 'relativisitic' mass.

A photon's rest mass is zero.
Isn't a photon a totally theoretical particle though since light behaves like a stream of particles under some tests and waves under another?

and yeah, you can equate the kinetic energy of an object to mass using the theory of relativity if you really want. But that might involve going to look through some of my physics notes and then I'd look like a geek.