THE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE OF RELATIVISTIC MASS AND ITS IMPACT BEYOND SCIENCE

 

Talal Al-Ameen

Professor of Mathematics and Mathematical Physics, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU), Saudi Arabia, talal_alameen@yahoo.co.uk, tameen@pmu.edu.sa

 

Abstract

In the relativistic mass formula, Albert Einstein shows that mass increases with velocity. This claim appears so counter-intuitive that it must be investigated. It further claims that at v = c (where v is the object’s speed, and c the speed of light) the object’s relativistic mass (m) increases to infinity (∞). This work considers whether the scrutiny of mathematics and physics can justify this claim, using Einstein’s Radiation Beam Box Thought Experiment. Scientifically, the aim of this work is to show that Einstein’s most celebrated equation E (Energy) = mc² holds if, and only if, the photon is conceived to be mass-ive and furthermore that it is possible for mass-ive objects (such as an electron) to speed as fast as the photon. Educationally, the aim of this work is to show that the historical route to mass-ive photon may be an instrument to resolve the pedagogical challenges presented by relativistic mass. The work also briefly considers whether conventions, within a field of scientific investigation, can have unfortunate implication of how theory is formulated. Socially, the work discusses the impact of relativity on issues such as the existence of an absolute truth – as understood by philosophers such as Kant, prior to relativity.

Keywords: Relativistic mass, Einstein’s Radiation Beam Box Thought Experiment, The natural philosophies of Kant.