To clarify...

Off Topic » in reply to No need for regrets. Just defintion.

To clarify...

Michael Gmirkin — 10/5/2006 6:14:52 PM (archived)

I'm not asking how mass is used in an equation to derive something else. I can plug numbers into a formula all day long and get correct answers.

People seem to somehow be confusing what I'm asking. I'm not asking "how do you do math." That I understand fine.

I'm asking not

"how is mass used in equations"

but

"What is mass in a physical sense? What is the structure of it, such that it causes an object which has it to resist acceleration?"

Simple enough? We don't need to debate psychology and the mind-language-concept-symbolism-math relationship. I'm just asking

"In real terms, how do we define mass?"

"What is the stuff of mass, and how is it structured to do what it does (resist acceleration)?"

Since we have the formula E=M(C^2) or M=E/(C^2), I assume that the answer lies in the equivalence between mass and energy.

I'm just looking for an explanation in real world terms of what specific structure or property resists acceleration, and how it does it? Both the what and the how seem integral to the understanding of the thing.

IE, is it as simple as kinetic enrgy being converted somehow into potential energy? If so, by what mechanism? If not, what other mechanism/property causes the resistance of an object to acceleration?

Why is this such a difficult question to answer? Just wondering...

The whole thread (68 posts)

E=M*(C^2) question? - Michael Gmirkin - 9/23/2006 8:30:21 PM
- re: E=M*(C^2) question? - Johannes - 9/27/2006 4:11:05 AM
  - Are you SURE you're not the Techmeister incognito? (n/t) - ER - 9/27/2006 11:30:38 PM
    - re: Was my explanation incomprehensible? (n/t) - Johannes - 10/1/2006 3:26:52 AM
      - Incomprehensible? No, it was impenetrable! (n/t) - ER - 10/1/2006 1:03:32 PM
        
        re: Sorry about that, - Johannes - 10/2/2006 3:37:59 AM
        
        To restate a bit... - Michael Gmirkin - 10/2/2006 11:01:47 PM
        
        re: Like a time bubble? - Johannes - 10/5/2006 3:19:03 AM
        
        re: Like a time bubble? - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 5:02:01 PM
- re: E=M*(C^2) question? - ER - 9/24/2006 1:10:56 AM
  - An example problem - ER - 9/24/2006 3:13:54 PM
    - re: An example problem - Michael Gmirkin - 9/25/2006 4:17:19 AM
      - mass and matter - ER - 9/25/2006 10:27:00 AM
        
        Interesting... I think I get what I was trying to articulate now... ;o] - Michael Gmirkin - 9/28/2006 12:25:40 AM
        
        Mass & Energy, Planet size, etc. - SDAI-Tech1 - 9/28/2006 1:29:28 AM
        
        re: Mass & Energy, Planet size, etc. - Michael Gmirkin - 9/28/2006 5:59:46 AM
        
        Fields, waves, mass, acceleration, etc. - SDAI-Tech1 - 10/5/2006 8:59:23 PM
        
        re: Fields, waves, mass, acceleration, etc. - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 11:35:39 PM
        
        Minor clarification... - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 11:48:18 PM
        
        Thank you. :) - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 10:50:43 PM
        
        Score one for Wikipedia... - Michael Gmirkin - 9/28/2006 6:55:30 AM
        
        re: Mass & Energy, Planet size, etc. - Michael Gmirkin - 9/28/2006 5:46:53 AM
        
        You've lost me. - ER - 9/28/2006 1:26:41 AM
        
        Like car keys, you're always in the last place I look... =o] - Michael Gmirkin - 9/28/2006 8:08:36 AM
        
        Of course they are... - Lee - 9/30/2006 5:27:54 AM
        
        Exactly... - Michael Gmirkin - 9/30/2006 3:13:51 PM
        
        This is not the place... - ER - 9/28/2006 2:27:30 PM
        
        This is as good a place as any. ;o] - Michael Gmirkin - 9/30/2006 11:37:09 PM
        
        re: This is as good a place as any. ;o] - ER - 10/1/2006 2:40:43 PM
        
        Thanks for the comments. :) - Michael Gmirkin - 10/2/2006 8:41:22 PM
        
        re: Good explanations and questions, thank you Michael. - Johannes - 10/1/2006 1:58:33 AM
        
        The answer is, you can't. - ER - 10/1/2006 8:21:08 PM
        
        Ohh, sure you can... You just have to be creative. =o] (I think I get it now, BTW; read on) - Michael Gmirkin - 10/2/2006 5:55:00 PM
        
        Probably going to regret this.... for Johannes, Gmirkin, SDAI etc etc: Math, Science, Reality and Language - DL - 10/5/2006 6:37:03 AM
        
        Well done, but probably a waste of time. (n/t) - ER - 10/7/2006 3:22:30 AM
        
        hehehe - YetiKnight - 10/9/2006 1:01:01 AM
        
        Reality. - SDAI-Tech1 - 10/5/2006 9:45:36 PM
        
        re: God in science? - Johannes - 10/6/2006 9:34:36 PM
        
        Happy endings... - Michael Gmirkin - 10/6/2006 12:48:14 AM
        
        re: It's been real. It's been fun - Johannes - 10/6/2006 9:21:16 PM
        
        No need for regrets. Just defintion. - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 5:46:57 PM
        
        To clarify... - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 6:14:52 PM
        
        Then you need to study the quantum world - alcaray - 10/5/2006 6:50:18 PM
        
        re: Then you need to study the quantum world - Michael Gmirkin - 10/6/2006 12:55:15 AM
        
        I don't believe that this disputes what you say. - alcaray - 10/5/2006 3:56:00 PM
        
        No, it doesn't- it perfectly illustrates it! - DL - 10/5/2006 7:07:20 PM
        
        re: I don't believe that this disputes what you say. - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 5:08:26 PM
        
        I know I'm not qualified - alcaray - 10/5/2006 6:12:58 PM
        
        I won't dispute that. - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 7:43:36 PM
        
        You know, - alcaray - 10/5/2006 8:59:09 PM
        
        Heh. Yeah, I know. - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 10:00:58 PM
        
        Read DL's post again, sleep with it under your pillow for a few weeks. - Tony - 10/5/2006 5:31:51 PM
        
        I've read it. - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 7:37:28 PM
        
        I've printed this, and saved it elsewhere. Thank you, Davin. (n/t) - Mary Anne - 10/5/2006 3:34:16 PM
        
        Archived here, too (n/t) - Fox - 10/8/2006 5:08:58 PM
        
        and thank you, MA (n/t) - YetiMaster - 10/5/2006 8:54:00 PM
        
        mass is that which resists accelleration - alcaray - 10/3/2006 10:30:27 PM
        
        re: mass is that which resists accelleration - Michael Gmirkin - 10/3/2006 10:53:30 PM
        
        re: mass is that which resists accelleration - alcaray - 10/4/2006 9:15:27 PM
        
        re: mass is that which resists accelleration - Michael Gmirkin - 10/5/2006 9:10:16 PM
        
        The same body can do many things at once - alcaray - 10/5/2006 9:55:57 PM
        
        Fair enough... - Michael Gmirkin - 10/6/2006 12:42:56 AM
        
        You are certainly allowed to divide by zero. - alcaray - 10/6/2006 2:30:18 PM
        
        Thick as a brick - ER - 10/2/2006 9:29:32 PM
        
        Good examples. Thx. :) - Michael Gmirkin - 10/4/2006 12:31:21 AM
        
        You are asking all the questions backwards. - ER - 10/4/2006 4:18:29 AM
    - Well done, but probably a waste of time.... - Boo! - 9/24/2006 10:59:30 PM
    - re: An example problem - Bowser - 9/24/2006 6:22:10 PM

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