Mass Increase in SR: Clarification of Popular Belief

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In summary, the idea that something can turn into energy when it reaches the speed of light came from laymen studying special relativity. This is not possible because nothing with mass can reach the speed of light and the mass increase at high speeds is actually just kinetic energy. Mass is an invariant in modern texts, meaning it does not change with reference frame.
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ShayanJ
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I often hear from laymen who study some SR that if sth reaches the speed of light,it completely turns into energy!
Where did this crazy idea came from?

Any way,mass increase in SR seems really mysterious to me
E.g. when mass tends to infinity as velocity tends to c
Can someone clarify more?

Thanks
 
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Nothing that has mass can reach the speed of light. Relativistic mass, i.e. the mass increase due to relativistic speeds is not mass in the modern sense, it is really kinetic energy. In modern texts mass is an invariant, i.e. a property that is the same in any reference frame.

Therefore anything that is traveling at light speed is massless but can possesses momentum.
 

What is the concept of mass increase in special relativity (SR)?

The concept of mass increase in SR refers to the idea that an object's mass appears to increase as its velocity approaches the speed of light. This is a fundamental principle of special relativity, which states that as an object's velocity increases, so does its mass. However, this increase in mass is only relative to an outside observer and does not affect the object's intrinsic mass.

Why is the mass increase in SR a commonly misunderstood concept?

The concept of mass increase in SR is often misunderstood because it goes against our everyday intuition about how mass behaves. We are used to thinking of mass as a constant property, but in SR, it is relative to the observer's frame of reference. Additionally, the increase in mass only becomes significant at velocities close to the speed of light, which is not commonly observed in our daily lives.

Does the mass of an object actually increase in SR?

No, the mass of an object does not actually increase in SR. The increase in mass is only apparent to an outside observer and does not affect the object's intrinsic mass. This is known as the "relativistic mass" and is a result of the effects of time dilation and length contraction on an object's kinetic energy.

How does the concept of mass increase in SR relate to the theory of general relativity?

The concept of mass increase in SR is a fundamental principle of special relativity, which is a more limited theory than general relativity. In general relativity, the concept of mass increase is replaced by the concept of gravitational mass, which is the measure of an object's response to gravitational forces. However, both theories are consistent with each other and have been extensively tested and confirmed through experiments.

Is the mass increase in SR a factor in everyday life?

No, the mass increase in SR is not a significant factor in everyday life. The increase in mass only becomes significant at velocities close to the speed of light, which are not commonly observed in our daily lives. For most practical purposes, we can continue to use the concept of constant mass without taking into account the effects of special relativity.

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