Is Everything in the Universe Made of Mass?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the question of whether everything in the universe is made of mass, exploring concepts related to mass, energy, and the nature of light and space. Participants examine the implications of movement and energy transfer, as well as the properties of photons and cosmic rays.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if all information, including ideas and electromagnetic waves, has mass, suggesting that movement implies mass and energy transfer.
  • Another participant asserts that photons, which constitute light and radio waves, have no mass but possess energy, challenging the notion that movement necessarily involves mass.
  • A participant raises questions about the composition of photons and cosmic rays, linking the bending of light due to gravity to the idea that light must have mass.
  • Another participant reiterates the question about the composition of photons and cosmic rays, while introducing the concept of relativistic mass for photons and discussing gravity's effect on waves without requiring mass, referencing General Relativity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relationship between mass, energy, and the behavior of light, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding definitions of mass and energy, as well as the implications of General Relativity, which remain unclear and are not fully explored.

MaNiFeST
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Random question, but is it true that all information, like brain neurons (ideas), light, radio waves, etc... has a mass?

Basically if anything moves then it transfers energy and must have a mass. So the Universe is ALL mass?

Also, what would "space" be defined as in terms of mass.
 
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Photons have no mass, they have energy. Light and radio waves are photons. Just because something moves, does not mean it transfers energy. Think of a a Cosmic ray traveling through a vaccum, there is nothing to transfer its energy to.

As for space, a more appropriate term would be energy density.

I like how you are thinking about such topics and I appreciate your creativity.
 
So what are photons and cosmic rays made up of?

Also if light gets affected by gravity, it must have a mass.
Doesn't light travel for millions of miles then starts to bend because of gravity?

Thanks
 
MaNiFeST said:
So what are photons and cosmic rays made up of?

Also if light gets affected by gravity, it must have a mass.
Doesn't light travel for millions of miles then starts to bend because of gravity?

Thanks

I personally don't have much information on this topic but here is what I know;

Photons do have a Relativistic Mass when traveling with a speed greater than zero.

But when it comes to waves, they don't need a mass to be effected by the gravity, According to General Relativity of Einstein gravity is curvature in space time which means a geometrical phenomena. As it doesn't involves force, the wave won't need to have a mass.

For the best answers try writing this question in Relativity forum.
 

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