Do Photons Have Mass or Not?

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SUMMARY

Photons do not have mass in the traditional sense; they possess energy but are massless particles according to relativistic physics. The key concept is that photons cannot remain at rest and do not conform to Newton's laws of motion. Instead, their behavior is described by the principles of energy exchange. This distinction clarifies common misconceptions about the nature of photons and mass.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of relativistic physics principles
  • Familiarity with the concept of energy-mass equivalence
  • Basic knowledge of Newtonian mechanics
  • Awareness of particle physics terminology
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of energy-mass equivalence in Einstein's theory
  • Study the behavior of massless particles in quantum mechanics
  • Explore the implications of photons in electromagnetic theory
  • Learn about the role of photons in particle physics experiments
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Students of physics, educators in the field of science, and anyone interested in the fundamental properties of light and energy.

FE 26
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This may very well be an elementary question but I need to know once and for all. Do photons have mass and how is it proven? As of yet I have not received a sufficient answer to this question except for a vague explanation about how photons have mass until they cease movement, at which point they cease to be photons... I must be misunderstanding something somewhere because that doesn't quite make sense to me. Am I just being dense?
 
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Please begin by reading the FAQ thread in the General Physics forum.

Zz.
 
In relativistic physics the main thing is not the mass but the total energy because it is what the particles exchange with. So photon has energy but has no mass in a usual sense, as the inertia coefficient in the Newton equation. Photons do not obey the Newton equation and they cannot stay at rest.
 

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