Does a Ipod weigh more when its full of info?

Question

I think that on a atomic Level, or sub-atomic level, the full Ipod will weigh more. Energy is mass right? Therefore mass has weight. Or am I crazy? If u know of any links that may help me figure this out, i'd be extremely appreciative!! Thanks.

Answer 1

There will be no weight change since the data is recorded in the ipod in terms of switching an electronic position from off to on and vice-versa, as opposed to actually adding electrons or other subatomic particles to the system. The memory retains the same mass, it just moves the charge from one spot to another, resulting in no change to the mass. In magnetic memory media, this is also the case, it simply changes the polarity of the magnetic particle from off to on without adding or removing a thing. Also, if there were electrons added without counterbalancing with protons, the ipod would build up a charge that could discharge rapidly like a mini-lightning bolt and erase the memory at any given moment.

Answer 2

I'd say no. Your head doesn't weigh more when it has more thoughts. Mp3 files are not really mass. But as you say energy is mass, but that would go for LCD screen being on as well.

Answer 3

The information is stored by rearranging the molecules in the chips magneticaly.  The mass should be the same.

Answer 4

Well the Ipod works off of the solid state memory design which take high an low voltages and reads them as ones and zeros, when full there is a lot of ones an zeros trapped in this capacitive cell in the ipod that is the flash memory. Now since the ones and zeros are energy(high and low) you have added more memory to the ipod you have increase the amount of energy more energy in a substance equals more particle movement more movement means its closer to a gas, gases float so it is lighter, but do assume that your ipod went on the Atkins diet and lost 50 pounds :)

Answer 5

Um, I think that energy can equal mass, given the right circumstances, though conservation of energy means that if you add something in, then you must take something out. Well, you use energy, supplied by the  battery, which you recharge, when you are asking the memory bits to turn off and on to store the information in it's code sequences.  

When you want to play a full i-pod, it may mean charging up more often to hear it all, so in that respect, you will vary the "charge level", that form of energy used by shifting those little particles back an forth from their different states of readiness.

So essentially, while there may be an subatomic difference it would not be very perceptible to you when holding your i pod. The big weight change will be int eh money you spend to buy the downloads, and your wallet will get lighter!

Answer 6

its exactly the same the information in the chip is just moved around nothing is physically added to the device  

Answer 7

Energy is mass, but information (data) is neither. It is, instead, a property like color, or whether a duck is standing or sitting. You could have a data storage system based on a row of ducks. Standing, standing, sitting, standing might represent binary 1101, or decimal 13, for example. All the ducks weight the same, though.

Answer 8

No. The information storage medium weighs the same whether it has information or not; information per se is weightless. Information is "that which reduces uncertainty."

Also, it isn't quite true to say that 'energy is mass.' Energy and mass can be converted to each other, but they aren't the same thing.