As you get closer to the speed of light, to an outside observer you will grow larger, but...?

Question

If this is a reversal of the normal mass into energy, what form does this gained mass take? Is it protons, neutrons etc, and if so, how does this new material 'know' what it is i.e. all the matter you are made up of has its purpose already, where will this new matter fit in?

Answer 1

You're confusing mass with matter. No new matter is created, but rather the existing matter becomes more massive. The same atoms and particles will simply become heavier.

It's not only relative to the observer, the spaceship itself (in its own frame of reference) will become more massive and more difficult to accelerate. That's the reason we can't practically achieve the speed of light.

Answer 2

As matter approaches the speed of light it begins to break down chemically... until it reaches the speed of light... at that point it just becomes light.

Answer 3

No new matter is introduced, the existing matter shrinks in the direction of motion and becomes more resistant to increased motion. Your automobile behaves in the same way, if it is moving at high speed, you must use more than the normal amount of fuel to get it moving just a bit faster.. As for a human moving at relativistic speed his organs would cease to function as they become as thin as a sheet of paper.

Answer 4

You misunderstand the proposition. There can be no outside observer.

Answer 5

Above poster is correct, the effect will be of flattening in the direction of travel.

I believe the current theory regarding the increase in mass is that every massive particle in the object will interact more strongly with the gravitational field. The new accelerator coming online soon at CERN may be able to confirm this if it is able to find the Higgs Boson.

Answer 6

Mass is physical property - that is something that one can MEASURE. It a body is at rest, then its mass can be measured using scales. Another method is to apply some given force, say F = 1 Newton, and see by how much the body accelerates.

When the body moves at high speed with respect to observer, using scales is difficult. So one must use the second method. One applies the force 1 Newton, but the speed almost does not change, that is accleration is almost zero. This is because you try hard to increase the speed, but the speed cannot exceed the speed of light c. So we have to make the conclusion that mass must have incresed.

Increase of mass is only apparent, no new materis is added, the body remains of the same composition. The real formula is that of dispersion, which is

E² - (pc)² = (mc²)²

Answer 7

Its a theory so how do you expect anyone to know the right answer?

Answer 8

"you will grow larger" false!!

Your mass will increase, and your size/dimension/length in the direction of motion will decrease. That is, a sphere will become a dense thin pancake.

there is no material added to gain this additional mass, every particle increases in mass proportionally. It is an apparent increase in mass. If you are riding in a spaceship at close to the speed of light, you would not perceive this increase in mass, the decrease in length nor the decrease in elapsed time.

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Answer 9

I dont think there is new 'matter' is there? It is just that the mass of the matter increases exponentially as you approach light speed. Any string theorists prepared to expand on this?

Answer 10

Actually you would appear to flatten as your space time would compress and the light at the rear end would start to catch up with the light from the front.

It's not that you gain new matter, it's that energy itself has mass(in this case, the energy of motion), hence E=Mc^2.