The discussion centers on the application of Einstein's equation E=mc² to gravitational potential energy in the context of General Relativity (GR). Participants clarify that while energy cannot disappear, the concept of relativistic mass is largely obsolete, and modern physics refers to invariant mass. The total energy of a system, including kinetic and potential energy, remains constant, but the mass of an object does not change as it falls. Instead, energy is a property of the system's interaction with the gravitational field, and measuring mass during motion requires careful consideration of the frame of reference.
PREREQUISITESStudents of physics, particularly those studying General Relativity, educators explaining energy concepts, and anyone interested in the nuances of mass-energy equivalence in relativistic contexts.
Exactly, but wasn't this the point of the debate? Perhaps I don't understand, what the issue is here... Of course, I've not claimed that this has anything to do with time dilation. It's just a non-relativistic model after all.PeterDonis said:Note that these energy levels are energy levels of bound states in a "potential well" created with a mirror. So measurements of these energy levels are not measurements of "gravitational time dilation" for neutrons. They are measurements of whether the gravitational potential works like any other potential in the Schrödinger equation to determine bound state energy levels.
vanhees71 said:wasn't this the point of the debate?