Can Relativistic Mass Create a Black Hole?

In summary, the statement that relativistic mass is used to determine whether an object is a black hole is wrong.
  • #1
Aerodyn
4
1
Hello dear colleagues from the physics forum,

Following question came to my mind, can you tell me which statement (s) is/are wrong?.

Since relativistic mass is weighed with the Lorentz factor for an external observer, it is expected an increase with speed.

Such mass (m1) would tend to infinity with v=c, but before infinity it would go through the mass required to create a black hole. In addition, since the external observer would see the fast object contracted due to its speed, he would see a smaller object with a higher mass, which definitely would increase its density, creating the best conditions for a good black hole soup.

So the external observer would see m1 creating a black hole. What if now m1 decides to slow down until v=0? Would the external observer see m1 escaping from a black hole?

Thank you very much for four support on understanding this strange phenomenaAerodyn
 
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  • #2
Aerodyn said:
can you tell me which statement (s) is/are wrong?
This:

Aerodyn said:
Such mass (m1) would tend to infinity with v=c, but before infinity it would go through the mass required to create a black hole. In addition, since the external observer would see the fast object contracted due to its speed, he would see a smaller object with a higher mass, which definitely would increase its density, creating the best conditions for a good black hole soup.
The relevant quantity for determining whether an object is a black hole is not its relativistic mass, so the entire quote above is wrong. Whether or not an object is a black hole is invariant, independent of any choice of reference frame. Since relativistic mass is not an invariant, but frame-dependent, it obviously cannot be what determines whether an object is a black hole.

The rest of your post is also wrong since it follows from the above error.
 
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  • #3
Also, relativistic mass is not used by most scientists for the last many decades. It basically fell out of favor even within Einstein's lifetime.
 
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  • #5
Aerodyn said:
can you tell me which statement (s) is/are wrong?.
A simple way to see that your reasoning fails is to note that, as seen by a neutrino emitted by the Sun, you are doing 99.99999...% of the speed of light. Do you feel like a black hole?

This kind of mistake is one of the reasons relativistic mass fell out of favour. It leads to too many problems by kind of implying that relativistic physics is just Newtonian physics with a few Lorentz gammas thrown in. It is not. The source of gravity in relativity is a thing called the stress-energy tensor, which includes rest mass and various other forms of energy, but its behaviour is significantly more complex than just relativistic mass, I'm afraid.
 
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1. What is relativistic mass and how does it relate to black holes?

Relativistic mass is a concept in physics that describes the increase in an object's mass as it approaches the speed of light. In the context of black holes, relativistic mass refers to the mass of an object that is moving at relativistic speeds and can potentially create a black hole.

2. Can any object with enough relativistic mass create a black hole?

No, not all objects with high relativistic mass can create a black hole. The object must also have a high enough density and be compact enough to overcome its own gravitational force and collapse into a singularity, which is the defining feature of a black hole.

3. How does the equation E=mc^2 relate to the creation of a black hole through relativistic mass?

This famous equation, proposed by Albert Einstein, states that energy (E) and mass (m) are equivalent and are related by the speed of light (c) squared. In the context of black holes, this means that as an object's relativistic mass increases, so does its energy, which can contribute to the formation of a black hole.

4. Is it possible for an object to have enough relativistic mass to create a black hole, but not enough to sustain it?

Yes, this is possible. In order for a black hole to be sustained, it must have a certain minimum mass, known as the Schwarzschild radius. If an object has enough relativistic mass to create a black hole, but not enough to reach this minimum mass, it may form a temporary black hole that eventually evaporates due to Hawking radiation.

5. What are the implications of relativistic mass creating a black hole?

If relativistic mass is able to create a black hole, it could have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and the laws of physics. It would also open up new possibilities for studying the behavior of matter at extreme speeds and densities.

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