From: Paul Doherty (pauld@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Wed May 16 2001 - 14:18:26 PDT
Message-Id: <l0311072db7289e8468d8@[192.174.2.173]> Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 14:18:26 -0700 From: Paul Doherty <pauld@exploratorium.edu> Subject: Re: pinhole relativity
Hi Jhumki
>A few student questions that I cannot answer:
>
>1) If objects cannot travel at the speed of light (time, length problems are
>created), why can light travel at the speed of light?
Objects which have mass when they are at rest cannot travel at the speed of
light. They are ssaid to have "rest mass." These are things like electrons
and protons and people.
Light does not have "rest mass" so it can travel the speed of light.
Since light is not at rest it can and does have mass.
>
>2) As the velocity of an object approaches the speed of light, I think the
>object's mass increases. Is there a formula that shows this relationship? Or
>can you tell me the ratio between change in velocity and change in mass?
As an object approaches the speed of light it becomes harder to accelerate,
this is the same effect as increasing the mass.
>
>Thanks,
>Jhumki Basu
>Castilleja School
>_________________________________________________________________
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Paul "But it is more complicated than that!" Doherty,
Senior Staff Scientist, The Exploratorium.
pauld@exploratorium.edu, www.exo.net/~pauld
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