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discord73
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If as an object's speed approaches the speed of light from an observer's point of view, its mass appears to increase, then shouldn't a photon appear to have an infinite mass?
The "relativistic" mass of an object with non-zero rest (invariant) mass increases with speed, but this doesn't apply to photons, which have zero rest mass.discord73 said:If as an object's speed approaches the speed of light from an observer's point of view, its mass appears to increase, then shouldn't a photon appear to have an infinite mass?
Special relativity is a theory developed by Albert Einstein that describes the relationship between space and time. It explains how the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion and how the speed of light is constant regardless of the frame of reference. The photon, being a fundamental particle of light, is used as a key example to illustrate the principles of special relativity.
According to special relativity, time is relative and can appear to pass at different rates for different observers depending on their relative velocities. This means that time dilation, the slowing down of time, applies to the photon as well. For an observer traveling at the speed of light, time would appear to stand still, and for a stationary observer, time would appear to pass normally for the photon.
No, according to special relativity, the photon is a massless particle that travels at the speed of light. This is because as an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases infinitely, making it impossible for the photon to have any mass.
Special relativity states that as an object approaches the speed of light, its length appears to contract in the direction of its motion. This means that for a photon traveling at the speed of light, its length would appear to be zero. This is because, at the speed of light, time and space are completely intertwined, and there would be no distance to travel for the photon.
Yes, the principles of special relativity can be applied to any object that is traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light. This includes subatomic particles, spacecraft, and even high-speed trains. Special relativity is a fundamental theory of physics and applies to all objects in the universe, not just the photon.