Why does mass increase as the speed of an object increases?

Question

Right can someone actually answer the question because other questions that are just like this get answers explaining invariant and relativistic mass, the constant speed of light but none actually say WHY mass increases as the speed does. Don't give me formulas to figure out the rate of increase of mass just answer the question please.

Answer 1

As you continue to add energy to an object travelling near light speed, the object "stores" this energy as an increase of mass rather than an increase in velocity. This can be understood from the famous Einstein equation e = mc², ( energy = mass * speed of light squared ) in this case becoming m = e/c². Energy and mass are just different forms of the same thing. When you pump more energy into an object to make it go faster that energy is translated into mass.

Answer 2

So does an object have to be traveling at close to light speed for its mass to increase, or does its mass increase at lower speeds, and if so, at what speed does mass start to increase? And here's a thought. Why can't the increase in resistance to be moved faster at near light speed just a constant increase in the objects inertia?

Answer 3

If the mass that is added is travelling with the same speed as the object that it is added to then the speed of the object does not change ; but that is a special case. kinetic energy of an object (relative to something else) is the mass of the object divided by two and multiplied by (the speed (relative to the original something else) )^2. So if the bigger ball has more mass than the smaller ball and they are both travelling at the same speed (relative to my head say) then the bigger ball will have more kinetic energy. But if the smaller ball has more mass than the bigger ball then the smaller ball will have more kinetic energy if they are both moving at the same speed.

Answer 4

It's misleading to think of the mass as increasing (and many modern textbooks in relativity do not use the concept of "relativistic mass" because of the confusion it causes).



So the modern-day answer to "why does mass increase" is: "It doesn't". It's more useful to think of an object's ENERGY as increasing. You increase its energy in relativity just as in the old-fashioned way, by doing work on the object.



The amount of energy in an object is related to concepts of space and time. This is true even in pre-relativity physics; because a swiftly-moving rock (one that covers a large space in a small time) has more energy than an identical rock that is moving slowly.



But the formula that relates speed to energy is different in relativity, because of its different picture of how space and time are related. In pre-relativity physics, an object gains speed proportionally to the square root of the work you do on it. That means that (we thought) you could increase an object's speed to any given value, just by pouring a sufficient amount of energy (work) into it.



But relativity says that energy, space and time are related in a different mathematical way; so that in fact as you do more and more work on the object, its speed asymptotically approaches a fixed limit (which is of course "c").



This different mathematical relationship means that an object "behaves as if" it had more mass as its speed increases. It might be better to say it has more "inertia," or resistance to change; in particular, as its speed approaches "c", it becomes increasingly difficult (requires ever more work) to accelerate the object. The object seems to be more "sluggish," as though its mass has increased. And in some equations, it's useful to plug in the so-called "relativistic mass" and treat it as though it were "real" mass. But this is more in the way of a mathematical trick; nothing about the internal nature of the object changes.

Answer 5

The reverse is true. A structured Mass cannot increase no matter how fast it moves(increase of velocity) ,if it does not absorb it from an external source.



It was Einstein that indicated that the electron mass is dimished when it radiates light ,and as the electron gets closer to the nucleus the faster it moves. Thus as mass changes along with velocity changes as a function of the Power applied to make the mass move at that velocity.



If You stay the same amount of time in the rain, whether or not you are moving, you are going to get soaked by the same amount of water,

We get a rain of micro mass of light from the sun whcih gets absorbed by the mass of the earth.

So the mass of the earth increases continually,while the mass of the Sun decreases.



A Policeman with less mass can run faster than one with lots of mass.

So micro masses in space can move faster than macro masses.

The dilemma in the world of sceience is about agreeing concerning the definiton of mass and the definition of Energy. In reality mass is an entity with a particlar structure and architecture where as Energy is a process and not an entity. So Energy does not exist till a process takes place.

Answer 6

It doesnt. Mass is a constant with energy. Einstein syas that this is the Theory of Relativity. As it has more energy, it seems like it becomes more massive, when actually it doesnt. Take away its energy and it will not longer seem as heavy. An object with no energy will do the same. It will seem to have no mass. However, give it energy and it will seem to have mass.



Notice that I used seem to. Mass only acts to increase RELATIVE to its previous state when more energy is supplied to it.



Thank you.

Answer 7

mass is a form of energy - more energy in the form of mass is created when something is moving at higher speeds. at the speed of light the energy required to move a mass is infinity, and so the mass is infinite