Einstein on mass and energy

Hecht, Eugene

doi:10.1119/1.3160671

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…It is seen in some sources (Born, 1962;Feynman, 1997) that mass varied depending on velocity based on the experimental validation of the predictions of special relativity. In recent years, it has been indicated that the concept of velocity-dependent mass was a misunderstanding and this fact had to be changed in all books and curricula (Hecht, 2009;Okun, 1989). Some books featuring special relativity changed the parts about the concept of "relative mass" in later editions (Serway & Beichner, 2000;Ünlü et al, 2014).…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

Yavaş

Şahin

2016

EJPE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study is to identify the reasons why pre-service physics teachers have difficulties related to special relativity topics. In this study conducted with 25 pre-service physics teachers, the case study method, which is a qualitative research method, was used. Interviews were held with the participants about their reasons for difficulties in understanding special relativity topics. We used content analysis with the interview data and created eight categories. By doing so, we tried to identify the causes of difficulties experienced by the participants. As a result, it can be said that students are biased against relativity subjects and consider them to be difficult. Although the students found the subject interesting, problems such as mathematical difficulties, problems related to determining the reference system and transition from classical physics to relativistic physics made the learning process difficult for them. Additionally, we identified positive and negative opinions about the teaching method.

show abstract

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

Yavaş

Şahin

2016

EJPE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Let us make two final remarks. Contrary to popular belief, it seems Einstein himself never used E = mc 2 in the context of the equivalence of energy and mass -only E 0 = mc 2 , that is, equivalence of the rest energy and the invariant mass [3,51,52]. It may seem tempting to use this fact as evidence against velocity-dependent relativistic mass.…”

Section: Mass and Quantum Theorymentioning

confidence: 96%

Relativistic mass and modern physics

Силагадзе

2014

Can. J. Phys.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

At first sight, arguments for and against the notion of relativistic mass look like a notorious intra-Lilliputian quarrel between Big-Endians (those who broke their eggs at the larger end) and Little-Endians. However, upon closer inspection we discover that the relativistic mass notion is alien to the spirit of modern physics to a much greater extent than it seems. To demonstrate an abyss between the modern approach and archaic notions, in this paper we explore how the concept of mass is introduced in modern physics. This modern approach reveals a deep cohomological origin of mass.Comment: 13 pages, no figures. Title changed in the published version (without an entertaining part

show abstract

“…While Einstein omitted a key feature of the formal derivation of the principle, his alternative argument stresses the notion that inert mass can be seen as latent energy, an idea that he regarded as the most important consequence of special relativity (Hecht, 2009). The rhetoric indeed seems epideictic, or status-driven (Fahnestock, 1986), particularly in comparison to the forensic style of the formal argument.…”

Section: The Rhetoricmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the knowledge gap: An analysis of Albert Einstein’s popularized presentation of the equivalence of mass and energy

Kapon

2013

Public Underst Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article presents an analysis of a scientific article written by Albert Einstein in 1946 for the general public that explains the equivalence of mass and energy and discusses the implications of this principle. It is argued that an intelligent popularization of many advanced ideas in physics requires more than the simple elimination of mathematical formalisms and complicated scientific conceptions. Rather, it is shown that Einstein developed an alternative argument for the general public that bypasses the core of the formal derivation of the equivalence of mass and energy to provide a sense of derivation based on the history of science and the nature of scientific inquiry. This alternative argument is supported and enhanced by variety of explanatory devices orchestrated to coherently support and promote the reader's understanding. The discussion centers on comparisons to other scientific expositions written by Einstein for the general public.

show abstract

Einstein on mass and energy

Cited by 35 publications

References 47 publications

Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

Relativistic mass and modern physics

Bridging the knowledge gap: An analysis of Albert Einstein’s popularized presentation of the equivalence of mass and energy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About