- #1
AlfieD
- 68
- 0
Greetings people of Physics,
I was just having a think about E=MC2 (as is common with people these days... probably) and if we assumed that a random photon had an energy of 3 Joules, and we rearranged E=MC2 to work out the mass (M=E/C2), it would mean that our photon has a mass of 1.000692285594456e-8 Kg (if we assume that the speed of light is 299,792,458 m/s). However, I was taught that photons have no mass (I know that they have no 'rest mass' but the sum that I just did stated that while our photon has 3 Joules of energy, it has mass a mass of 1.000692285594456e-8 Kg). Coming on to my question, I was taught that you can only go the speed of light if you have zero mass, but if light itself has mass then how can it go at its own speed and I am seriously confused. If someone could help me with this I would appreciate it.
Kind Regards,
Alfie D
I was just having a think about E=MC2 (as is common with people these days... probably) and if we assumed that a random photon had an energy of 3 Joules, and we rearranged E=MC2 to work out the mass (M=E/C2), it would mean that our photon has a mass of 1.000692285594456e-8 Kg (if we assume that the speed of light is 299,792,458 m/s). However, I was taught that photons have no mass (I know that they have no 'rest mass' but the sum that I just did stated that while our photon has 3 Joules of energy, it has mass a mass of 1.000692285594456e-8 Kg). Coming on to my question, I was taught that you can only go the speed of light if you have zero mass, but if light itself has mass then how can it go at its own speed and I am seriously confused. If someone could help me with this I would appreciate it.
Kind Regards,
Alfie D