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Questions tagged [mass]

The property of an object that determines how much it responds to a force in Newtonian mechanics, and how much it interacts with gravity in the Newtonian framework. Mass also refers to the intrinsic energy of a particle in particle physics. This tag does also cover effective mass.

The property of an object that determines how much it responds to a force in Newtonian mechanics and how much it interacts with gravity in the Newtonian framework. Mass also refers to the intrinsic energy of a particle in particle physics. This tag does also cover effective mass.

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Don't heavier objects actually fall faster because they exert their own gravity?

The common understanding is that, setting air resistance aside, all objects dropped to Earth fall at the same rate. This is often demonstrated through the thought experiment of cutting a large object in half—the halves clearly don't fall more slowly…
ErikE
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If photons have no mass, how can they have momentum?

As an explanation of why a large gravitational field (such as a black hole) can bend light, I have heard that light has momentum. This is given as a solution to the problem of only massive objects being affected by gravity. However, momentum is the…
david4dev
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How can you weigh your own head in an accurate way?

I read some methods but they're not accurate. They use the Archimedes principle and they assume uniform body density which of course is far from true. Others are silly like this one: Take a knife then remove your head. Place it on some scale Take…
user5402
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Why is the $S_{z} =0$ state forbidden for photons?

If photons are spin-1 bosons, then doesn't quantum mechanics imply that the allowed values for the z-component of spin (in units of $\hbar$) are -1, 0, and 1? Why then in practice do we only use the $\pm 1$ states? I have been told that this is…
Todd R
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How does mass leave the body when you lose weight?

When your body burns calories and you lose weight, obviously mass is leaving your body. In what form does it leave? In other words, what is the physical process by which the body loses weight when it burns its fuel? Somebody said it leaves the…
exokernel
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Are Newton's "laws" of motion laws or definitions of force and mass?

If you consider them as laws, then there must be independent definitions of force and mass but I don't think there's such definitions. If you consider them as definitions, then why are they still called laws?
user5402
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Why is there a controversy on whether mass increases with speed?

Some people say that mass increases with speed while others say that the mass of an object is independent of its speed. I understand how some (though not many) things in physics are a matter of interpretation based on one's definitions. But I can't…
User 17670
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Which way does the scale tip?

I found the problem described in the attached picture on the internet. In the comment sections there were two opposing solutions. So it made me wonder which of those would be the actual solution. So basically the question would be the following.…
Peter Raeves
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Massless charged particles

Are there any massless (zero invariant mass) particles carrying electric charge? If not, why not? Do we expect to see any or are they a theoretical impossibility?
Eelvex
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Do the weights of two liquids not add when mixed?

I was given an interesting dilemma today. A co-worker saw me adding a liquid (Diisopropyl ethylamine AKA DIPEA) to a flask filled with another liquid (Tetrahydrofuran AKA THF). I needed to weigh out exactly 5 grams of DIPEA into the THF and so I…
Brian
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Is weight a scalar or a vector?

My professor insists that weight is a scalar. I sent him an email explaining why it's a vector, I even sent him a source from NASA clearly labeling weight as a vector. Every other source also identifies weight as a vector. I said that weight is a…
Ryan
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Why are protons heavier than electrons?

Our teacher told us that protons are nearly 1800 times heavier than electrons. Is there any known reason as to why this is so? Or is this just an empirical value, one we do not know the reason to?
Shivay Vadhera
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What keeps mass from turning into energy?

I understand the energy and mass can change back and forth according to Einstein. It is fluid; it can go from one to the other. So, what keeps mass from just turning into energy? Is there some force holding a subatomic particle together? What keeps…
Moo
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Does a photon exert a gravitational pull?

I know a photon has zero rest mass, but it does have plenty of energy. Since energy and mass are equivalent does this mean that a photon (or more practically, a light beam) exerts a gravitational pull on other objects? If so, does it depend on the…
John
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Why do we have an elementary charge but no elementary mass?

Why do we have an elementary charge $e$ in physics but no elementary mass? Is an elementary mass ruled out by experiment or is an elementary mass forbidden by some theoretical reason?
asmaier
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