Creating a black hole with any mass?

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    Black hole Hole Mass
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of whether accelerating any mass closer to the speed of light could result in the formation of a black hole. It touches on theoretical implications of mass, relativistic effects, and the nature of black holes.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification, Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that accelerating a mass to near light speed could lead to it forming a black hole.
  • Another participant counters that it is the rest mass that is significant, which remains constant regardless of the object's speed.
  • A third participant reiterates the initial question about mass and black hole formation, referencing external sources for further context.
  • A later reply critiques the concept of relativistic mass as outdated, arguing that it leads to confusion and asserting that applying Lorentz transformations to the Schwarzschild solution yields no unusual results.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance of relativistic mass in the context of black hole formation, indicating a lack of consensus on the topic.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes unresolved assumptions about the definitions of mass and the implications of relativistic effects, which may affect interpretations of the claims made.

Nickj800
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If you can some how accelerate any starting mass closer and closer to the speed of light, can the mass become so great that it will form a black hole?
 
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No, it's the rest mass that counts. And the rest mass of an object is always the same, no matter how fast its going.
 
Nickj800 said:
If you can some how accelerate any starting mass closer and closer to the speed of light, can the mass become so great that it will form a black hole?
See this entry from the Usenet Physics FAQ. Also some posts from pervect on the gravitational field from an object moving relative to the observer [post=1630186]here[/post], [post=1168136]here[/post], and [post=689706]here[/post].
 
Pervect's discussion starts off by saying that a moving object increases in mass and flattens out. He then goes on to talk about 'transverse mass' and 'longitudinal mass'. Well. Forgive me for saying so, but the concept of relativistic mass is outmoded and misguided, and it is startling to encounter it. It is precisely what leads to the confusion between formalism and physical reality illustrated by this current question.

It's a simple exercise to apply a Lorentz transformation to the Schwarzschild solution, and an even simpler one to realize that nothing unusual happens.
 

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