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"In general, relativistic and rest masses are equal only in systems which have no net momentum and the system center of mass is at rest". This is the case of a
by IvyMike 11y ago
"In general, relativistic and rest masses are equal only in systems which have no net momentum and the system center of mass is at rest". This is the case of a system being heated. I'm still led to believe that the mass is still increased by the increased motion of the particles in that system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_in_special_relativity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_in_special_relativity
- sklogic 11y agoAs I said, algebraically both approaches are equivalent, so there is not much harm in using this notion. But the "relativistic mass" does not have physical meaning and does not make any sense because of the way relativity theory is defined. And I would not count wikipedia as an authoritative source, anyway. 2nd volume of the Course is a bit more legit.
- sklogic 11y agoBtw., even the Wikipedia article contains a nice explanation of what I'm talking about (and, yes, I'm of the Landau-Kapitsa-Okun school of thought, naturally): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_in_special_relativity#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_in_special_relativity#Con...