According to the theory of relativity, an object moving at the velocity of light has infinite mass.
But electrons in current carrying conductors pass at comparable velocities to light. Still their mass remains so small. Why?
2007-06-11 23:24:15 · 4 answers · asked by Karoly 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Where in the world did you get the impression that electrons in a current carrying conductor travel anywhere --near-- the speed of light? The electric field that causes them to move does indeed accelerate them quite rapidly (since their mass is small) to high speeds, but they seldom travel more than a few µmeters before they collide with an atom (transferring some of their energy to the atom as they recoil from the collision in a process known as current heating ☺) and then accelerating again. In a copper wire with maybe an amp or so going through it, the average velocity of an electron is only a few cm/s.
Doug
2007-06-11 23:41:59 · answer #1 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If a tardyon (a particle continually transferring at speeds below the speed of sunshine and having finite ideal mass, aka relax mass) were to pass on the speed of sunshine then that's inertial mass might want to be endless. inspite of the indisputable fact that a photon isn't a tardyon, that's a luxon that signifies that it continually strikes a the speed of sunshine. meaning that that's "ideal mass" is 0. i noticed someone claiming that the mass of a photon is hf/c^2 isn't inertial mass yet yet in a distinct way of expressing ability. it is a hardship-loose false impression and in protecting with a false impression of the distinction between mass and ability. ability is a quantity having instruments kg*m/s^2 and is a conserved quantity while mass is the quantity which describes a bodies inertia, i.e. that's resistance to action. Claiming that m = E/c^2 is basically yet in a distinct way expressing ability is like declaring that E = hf is yet in a distinct way of expressing the frequency of a photon. Pay no interest to that false impression.
2016-11-23 13:25:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rest mass of an electron is 9.1 e-31kg.
If it moves with a speed of 0.9986 times the velocity of light, its mass will increase by 60 times and hence it will be
5.46e-29
2007-06-12 01:01:29 · answer #3 · answered by Pearlsawme 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because the velocity of electrons in a wire is much less than c, the velocity of light in vaccum. it is v/c that is relevant in the formula.
2007-06-12 00:09:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋