Welcome Schrodinger's Hat!

[stitch626]

I hope you aren't suggesting that photons have no mass.

But tachyons do amuse me. I wonder if they have any similar properties to the ones in Trek?

[Lazar]

I hope you aren't suggesting that photons have no mass.

Aren't photons massless particles?

[Tsukiyumi]

But tachyons do amuse me. I wonder if they have any similar properties to the ones in Trek?

Other than the name, you mean?

Aren't photons massless particles?

Nope. They are very "light", though.

http://www.instantrimshot.com/

[stitch626]

Photons are not massless. Otherwise they couldn't be affected by gravity. Sinse light can be pulled into a black hole, them the particles that comprise light must have some mass, albeit, infintessimal.

[Lazar]

That makes sense, but Wikipedia describes it as massless.

Then there's the Higgs boson, which, um... starts with the letter H.

[stitch626]

I couldn't imagine them puting 1x10^-10000000000000000000000000000 in such a small area.
*Not the actual mass, but still a big small number.

[stitch626]

Also note that it only has mass when it exists (ie, when it is moving). When stationary, it does indeed become massless, but it also ceases to exist. In theory.

[Thorin]

Photons have no 'mass' - they have 'relativistic mass'.
They're not the same.

Remember, they are pulled by gravity because of space-time curvature - they just follow the shortest routes along the curved lines, not because of a 'direct' inward pulling force.

[Mark]

That makes sense, but Wikipedia describes it as massless.

Then there's the Higgs boson, which, um... starts with the letter H.

Wikipedia, the sum of all human knowledge

[Mikey]

Photons have no 'mass' - they have 'relativistic mass'.
They're not the same.

Remember, they are pulled by gravity because of space-time curvature - they just follow the shortest routes along the curved lines, not because of a 'direct' inward pulling force.

For the rest of us - photons have "potential" mass inasmuch as m=E/c^2, not mass in the same way as a rock.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

From welcoming a new member to a physics discussion.

Shrodinger's Hat, you truly belong to ditl now!

[Mark]

Then why are photon torpedoes called "photon" torpedoes if it's just a m\am explosion?

[Lazar]

Because "photon torpedo" just sounds awesome.

[shran]

They're called photon torpedoes because the energy released by the m/am reaction is manifested as photons

[Mikey]

And other quanta, presumably - but of course, "quantum torpedo" was being reserved for an indefinably superior weapon.