Does velocity increase gravitation?

[little bang]

I understand that GR predicts that as an object's speed increases, so does it's mass. I wanted to know if there have been any observations that confirm this, by calculating the gravitational attraction of an object at varying speeds.

 

[Drakkith]

Nope! The mass of an object does NOT increase as speed increases. The idea of "relativistic mass" seems to do nothing but add confusion to how we describe and explain the term mass. At least that is what I've gotten out of several heated discussions about it here on the forums and some reading around.

If you are accelerated in a ship to 99.99999% the speed of light, how does everything look and react on the ship in your frame of reference? The same as it does when you are stationary with respect to where you began! To you it is equally valid to say that you are moving at 99.99999% the speed of light, or that everything else but you is.

 

[Apophilius]

Well when we say "mass is added," this is kind of an oversimplification. Relativistic momentum is increased as per several equations that I won't post here.

Furthermore, it's important to note the distinction between gravitational mass and inertial mass, the inertial mass being the one "affected" by the oversimplification.

 

[Drakkith]

Hence the confusion I was talking about.