What is the relation between a black hole's mass and its kinetic energy?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the relationship between a black hole's mass and its kinetic energy, exploring theoretical implications and mathematical formulations. Participants examine the complexities of defining kinetic energy in the context of black holes, particularly when considering their unique properties and the nature of singularities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes a formula for kinetic energy that leads to two extreme interpretations: either a black hole has zero kinetic energy if its radius is considered zero, or infinite kinetic energy if the radius is infinitely small.
  • Another participant cautions against using the proposed formula without careful consideration of the implications of approaching a singularity, noting that the product of infinite density and zero radius is not well defined.
  • A different participant expresses confusion over how physicists define the mass of a black hole, questioning the validity of assigning mass when one variable is infinite and the other is zero.
  • One participant emphasizes that black holes are defined by a single mass parameter in solutions to Einstein's equations, suggesting that concepts like density and volume are not applicable in this context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the validity of using traditional kinetic energy equations for black holes, with some questioning the definitions of mass and density while others assert the sufficiency of established parameters in black hole physics. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the undefined nature of density and volume at singularities, as well as the challenges in applying classical physics concepts to black holes. The discussion highlights the complexities and nuances in understanding black hole properties.

#Thomas#
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I've been scratching me' head a little. For curiosity's sake I've been trying to calculate what "would" be the kinetic energy of a black hole moving across the galaxy at a certain velocity, but whenever I tried assigning any value to the equation it spells disaster:

Ekin=(2D∏r3|v|2)/3

Based on this equation there are 2 possible outcomes:

1) the radius of the black hole is zero, the most widely accepted belief in that case the black hole will allways no kinetic energy whatsoever regardless of its velocity (Ekin=0)

2) Some believe that the radius of the black hole is infinetely small, but yet not zero, in that case the black holes have infinite kinetic energy (Ekin=∞)

In either case it got me into a bewilderment. You propably noticed that I took the classic equation apart because I was unsatisfied with the black holes mass being the same while its components went into the extreme.

Is it futile to even approach black hole phisics from this perspective or is there another way?
 
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You're trying to rewrite m in terms of an average density multiplied by a radius, which is OK, but then you need to be careful. If you take your radius to be the schwarzschild radius, the average density is known (in fact, you know the total mass much easier, so this whole procedure is a little silly to begin with). If you try and apply this to an arbitrarily small sphere (say, approaching the singularity), you'll have to say the density goes to infinity, while the radius goes to zero. The product Infinity*0 isn't well defined, so you cannot proceed in such a way.

In reality, the black hole has a well defined total mass, so simply use mv^2/2 (or the relativistic version, if necessary).
 
I know its silly but I don't know the phisicists manage sumarily dismiss the radical changes that happen to the components that define the collapsed black hole's mass. They simply declare the mass of the black hole based on the stuff that's crashed down into a singularity, but how can you define the mass at all in the same way if in the factor DxV one variable is infinite and the other is absolute zero?

Even if you approach it from a relativistic point of view the values must be finite in order to account for different black hole sizes at all!
 
#Thomas# said:
I know its silly but I don't know the phisicists manage sumarily dismiss the radical changes that happen to the components that define the collapsed black hole's mass. They simply declare the mass of the black hole based on the stuff that's crashed down into a singularity, but how can you define the mass at all in the same way if in the factor DxV one variable is infinite and the other is absolute zero?

Even if you approach it from a relativistic point of view the values must be finite in order to account for different black hole sizes at all!

If you look at the solution to Einstein's equations which corresponds to a black hole (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzschild_metric ), it is defined by a single parameter: M. This M parameter corresponds to exactly what we would call a mass. So there you have it, to a black hole we assign a mass, no need to futz around with densities or volumes -- such concepts do not have well defined meanings for a black hole, especially if you are talking about the singularity. I'm not sure how I can make it any clearer than that.
 

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