Why Doesn't Light Increase in Mass at High Speeds?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of light, specifically addressing why light does not gain mass as it moves at high speeds, and the implications of this on energy requirements for movement. The subject area includes concepts from quantum physics and relativity.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster questions the relationship between light's speed and its mass, expressing confusion about why light does not become infinitely heavy and require infinite energy to move. Some participants clarify that photons are massless and discuss their behavior in the context of gravity and spacetime.

Discussion Status

Participants are exploring the fundamental properties of light and its interaction with gravity. Some guidance has been offered regarding the massless nature of photons and their behavior under gravitational influence. There is acknowledgment of related discussions in other threads, suggesting a broader context for the inquiry.

Contextual Notes

The original poster appears to be grappling with foundational concepts in physics, indicating a potential gap in understanding the implications of masslessness and the effects of gravity on light.

idiosyncratic
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I've been reading a lot about quantam physics and whatnot mostly for entertainment, but it suddenly hit me today that I didn't realize something. Why doesn't light get infinitely heavy, and therefore take an infinite amount of energy to move it? I've always accepted both the heavy, energy, and time factors of moving at the speed of light, but why isn't light itself affected by its movement? I must have missed something crucial. What further confused me is that light is affected by gravity, but not by its own speed.

Here's the question (just for a recap)

1. Why doesn't light get infinitely heavy, there fore taking an infinite amount of energy to move it?
 
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Photons are massless? Massless particles, if I am not wrong, only travel at c. We experimentally find them to be as massless as possible. They are affected by gravity because they travel in curved paths which are caused by masses as they bend spacetime.
 
Ohhh! Now I think I get it. :-) Thanks for the answer!
 

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