Quote:
Originally Posted by renormalised
I wasn't picking and choosing what was real or illusion. I said that the relativistic mass was illusional...an so was the infinite mass value. The KE is real, but the increase in mass due to the motion of the body in question was illusional and only based on the PoV of an outside observer.
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The basis for SR are observers making measurements in different frames of reference. Relativistic mass is NOT illusional because it is a measurable parameter for each observer. (Example:Inelastic collisions of atomic nuclei).
Infinite mass on the other IS illusional for the following reasons.
(1) It is not a measurable parameter.
(2) SR has an operating range of 0 <= v < c. Mass is finite in this interval.
The fundamental postulate of SR, supported by the mathematics and observation, is that a mass particle cannot obtain the value v=c. So why have this debate in the first case?
To argue that SR "is basically OK" except for the infinities is a total contradiction because it brings into question that fundamental postulate on which SR is built on.
Enough of my ramblings I will now go quiet on this subject.
Regards
Steven
http://users.westconnect.com.au/~sjastro/small