- #1
Ed Aboud
- 201
- 0
Sorry if this is a ridiculous queation, but how does a photon have momentum if it hass no mass?
They do it with energy! The equation for energy in relativity is:
[tex] E^2 = m^2 c^4 + p^2 c^2 [/tex]
Where m is the mass, p is the momentum, and c is the speed of light. Put in [itex]m = 0[/itex] and you get E = p c, so any massless particle with energy E will have momentum p = E/c.
what is the relationship between P and E?
Another way of getting the same result is to use the more popular form
[tex] E = mc^2 [/tex]
and solve for m (which can be regarded as the "relativistic mass"). Then just multiply by the velocity, which is c, and treat it like any other problem. You'll see that you get the same result, p = E/c.