What Makes Mass Essential in Understanding Physics?

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Mass is a critical element in understanding physical relationships, influencing concepts in general relativity, quantum mechanics, and the standard model. Despite its importance, the fundamental nature of mass remains poorly understood, with ongoing debates about its origins and how it interacts with geometry and forces. The Higgs mechanism is often cited as a contributor to mass, yet it accounts for only a small fraction of the mass we observe, with most stemming from binding energy between quarks. The standard model is viewed as complex and somewhat disjointed, raising questions about the unification of forces and the true nature of mass. Current research continues to explore these questions, emphasizing that the quest to understand mass is a vibrant area of scientific inquiry.
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Hoku said:
I think your point here is that, if someone hasn't had a passion for physics since the age of 16, then they will never develope it. This I have to disagree with.

Every person is different. Every life goes in different directions, discovering different passions at different times and for different reasons. You find no value in layman books, I find tremendous value in them. Science and math classes can be very dry and boring for me. It wasn't until I entered college at 23 that I was able to enjoy them (I went for 2 years then had to abandon it). If not for the layman books, I might never have taken science in college and I would never have known what I was missing.
Thanks for clarifying. Yours is an experience quite different from mine, which I have never witnessed. One should mention against myself the example of Ed Witten, who seem to have come to physics after quite some twists and turns, and undoubtedly contributed enormously. Yet again, I am unsure whether "layman books" played any role in that story.

Also, I do appreciate "layman books" every now and then, and I do think they are important. I am simply unsure they can trigger genuine passion, the sort of which people devote their life to.
 

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