4 ms·
You ignored the part where the atom is fired at such high speeds that it sees relativistic increase in mass. I dunno if that works, but that's the part that ma
by Tuna-Fish 4y ago
You ignored the part where the atom is fired at such high speeds that it sees relativistic increase in mass.
I dunno if that works, but that's the part that matters in the explanation above, and that's the part you'll have to address.
- b112 4y agoMomentum is always a thing, regardless of how much velocity mass has. Trying to be sneaky, because it is easy to measure large velocity * mass, instead of slow velocity * mass, doesn't work.
- TheOtherHobbes 4y agoI don't see why that makes a difference. To catch the atom you have to damp its new accelerated momentum, not its original momentum. So the ship will be translated backwards by a correspondingly accelerated amount. All you're doing is converting a slow relativistic acceleration into an equal and opposite fast relativistic deceleration.
- blamestross 4y ago"relativistic mass" is a polite lie for the math. As far as that partial can tell, it can travel at any speed Newtonianly. The "relativistic mass" is just the extra energy needed from our perspective due to relative time dialation. No new mass is created. The force of gravitation caused the energy before you put it into the photon is that same as after you put it into the photon.