Why r the protons of light not infinately heavy if anything approaching the speed of light gains infinity mass

Question

A proton, no matter how insignificant, must have some sort of weight which would reach infinity at the speed of light. Why does it not do this.

Answer 1

Light does not consist of proton, it consists of photons which are quantum of electromagnetic radiation, photons have their own antiparticle. Antiparticle is a particle that has the same mass of another particle but its other properties are opposite which result in cancelling the opposite properties. The net result is the production of radiant energy which is light (not according to me, but according to quantum theory). So no question of mass.

And light has very high but not infinity velocity, then how would the mass (do not say weight, both are different) be infinite (even if we consider what you say to be true)

Protons are not insignificant, they make up about half the mass of an atom (under normal conditions)

Answer 2

Part of the confusion here is the definition of "mass", which changed early in the 20th century as a result of relativity. The old definition of "mass" included the increase in mass posited by relativity: this is the m in E = mc^2. Having the mass of a particle change, depending on the relative speed of the observer, was conceptually awkward, since mass is not then an intrinsic property of the particle, but a property of a scenario. So physicists changed the definition of "mass" to mean "rest mass", i.e. the mass the particle has when at rest with respect to the observer.

Photons of light have zero rest mass, and can never be at rest with respect to the observer. Photons do, however, have "mass" (which is proportional to their frequency), in the sense that a photon carries momentum and is a source of gravity. A box of mirrors with photons bouncing between the mirrors is heavier than the same box without photons.

Actually, it is not impossible that photon have a very, very small rest mass. Neutrinos, for example, where once thought to be massless (have zero rest mass), but are now known to have a small rest mass. If the photon rest mass were small enough, it would be undetectable by any experiment. That would mean, however, that a photon could not ever travel quite at "the speed of light". That seems like a contradiction, but it is only a semantic one---there are really two definitions of "the speed of light": one is the speed of photons, and the other is the ratio between space and time in the Lorentz metric. A photon having a non-zero rest mass would only mean that the two definitions where actually defining different speeds.

Answer 3

Photons do not have mass, therefore their mass does not increase depending on speed.

Actually, anything that doesn't have mass MUST travel at the speed of light - it is impossible to slow down a photon or other massless particle. Interestingly, this means in the frame of reference of a photon, no time ever passes - it experiences its creation, its absorption and everything in between as instantaneous.

If you actually meant protons (subatomic particles in the nucleus of atoms, with mass), then you're right, they can never actually achieve light speed, it takes more and more energy to speed them up less and less. Nothing with mass can ever accelerate to light speed.

Answer 4

Actually it has no rest mass and the whole "near infinite mass" for a particle with a non-zero rest mass is based upon trying to accelerate it to the speed of light. The photons are going the speed of light to begin with. The huge mass is only significant when we try and speed something up that's not at the speed of light already.

Answer 5

First of all protons are not light. Secondly, did you mean to say "Photons" ? They are particles of light having what is described as Zero rest mass. This means that when they are not moving their mass is 0. The only mass they have is due to their motion. At light speed they do not have infinite mass.

Answer 6

Light consists of PHotons, which are massless elementary particles. Since they have ZERO mass there is no inconsistency.

PRotons are particles that DO have have and are found in the nuclei of atoms. Your statement regarding the increase of proton mass at relativistic speeds is correct, but it has nothing to do with PHotons.

Answer 7

Dude, light has no protons....I don't know where you'd get this idea from. It cosists of photons, which are elementary particles like quarks, leptons, and bosons.
So there is no way an elementary particle would be made up of less elementary particles......
A photon has no rest mass, which means that you can't just stop a photons and hold it.

Answer 8

Mass and potential are merely pronounced properties of gadgets, conserved and taken care of at the same time as mass-potential. once you're saying an merchandise "features mass," you ought to define precisely what you propose. No properties of the severe-velocity merchandise have replaced; merely properties of area-time that we use to degree mass-potential have replaced, so an observer doing an experimental decision of the mass of an merchandise might get a different answer if the object have been shifting at relativistic velocity with admire to the observer. With that throughout recommendations, the observable potential, momentum, and mass of an merchandise improve easily (yet no longer linearly) by using fact the object is speeded up. most of the pronounced variations take place merely whilst the object is at very severe velocities.

Answer 9

Protons (sub-atomic particles) have mass, photons (light) do not. Photons are just little bundles of energy with no physical form.

Answer 10

just a correction, light has no protons, it has quanta of light, which are lumps of energy/mass considered to have zero mass. hence not infinitely heavy a speed of light.