Why Doesn't Light Increase in Mass at High Speeds?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of light being affected by its own movement and why it does not get infinitely heavy. It is explained that light is made up of massless particles called photons, which can only travel at the speed of light. These particles are affected by gravity because they travel in curved paths caused by masses, but they themselves do not have mass. This is why light does not get infinitely heavy and require an infinite amount of energy to move it. The conversation also suggests further reading on the topic in a Quantum Physics subforum.
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idiosyncratic
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I've been reading a lot about quantam physics and whatnot mostly for entertainment, but it suddenly hit me today that I didn't realize something. Why doesn't light get infinitely heavy, and therefore take an infinite amount of energy to move it? I've always accepted both the heavy, energy, and time factors of moving at the speed of light, but why isn't light itself affected by its movement? I must have missed something crucial. What further confused me is that light is affected by gravity, but not by its own speed.

Here's the question (just for a recap)

1. Why doesn't light get infinitely heavy, there fore taking an infinite amount of energy to move it?
 
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  • #2
Photons are massless? Massless particles, if I am not wrong, only travel at c. We experimentally find them to be as massless as possible. They are affected by gravity because they travel in curved paths which are caused by masses as they bend spacetime.
 
  • #3
Ohhh! Now I think I get it. :-) Thanks for the answer!
 
  • #4

1. What is the speed of light (C) and how is it measured?

The speed of light (C) is a fundamental physical constant that represents the speed at which light travels in a vacuum. It is measured to be approximately 299,792,458 meters per second (m/s) in the International System of Units (SI).

2. How is light able to travel at the speed of C?

Light is able to travel at the speed of C because it is an electromagnetic wave. This means that it does not require a medium to travel through and can travel through a vacuum at the maximum speed allowed by the laws of physics.

3. Can anything travel faster than light?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, the speed of light is the maximum speed at which any object can travel. Therefore, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (C).

4. What factors affect the speed of light?

The speed of light is affected by the medium through which it travels. In a vacuum, where there is no obstruction, light travels at its maximum speed of C. However, in a medium such as air or water, the speed of light is slightly slower due to interactions with particles in the medium.

5. Why is the speed of light considered a constant?

The speed of light is considered a constant because it does not change regardless of the observer's frame of reference. This is a fundamental principle in physics known as the principle of relativity, which states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion.

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