Jump to content

Inertial mass temperature question


Sid_Rat

Recommended Posts

Is there a relationship between inertial mass, rest mass and temperature? If a body's inertial mass and rest mass are the same then presumably its temperature is exactly zero degrees Kelvin (hypothetically of course). Might it then be possible to deduce the temperature of a body if you already knew the values both for rest and inertial mass ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a relationship between inertial mass, rest mass and temperature? If a body's inertial mass and rest mass are the same then presumably its temperature is exactly zero degrees Kelvin (hypothetically of course). Might it then be possible to deduce the temperature of a body if you already knew the values both for rest and inertial mass ?

 

I could be wrong, but I always assumed the rest mass of an object to include it's temperature (or energy associated with temperature).

 

So the rest mass of an object would be greater than that of the sum of it's parts (constituent particles) assuming the above is correct.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could be wrong' date=' but I always assumed the rest mass of an object to include it's temperature (or energy associated with temperature).

 

So the rest mass of an object would be greater than that of the sum of it's parts (constituent particles) assuming the above is correct.[/quote']

 

I believe that's right. as you heat a block of iron up, its inertia increases

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If a body's inertial mass and rest mass are the same ...

 

Sid, there are actually different definitions of mass out there alive and kicking in the physics literature. People have long pointless arguments about which is the "right" definition.

 

if you want to reserve the idea of "rest mass" for particles then it is the inertia of the particle at rest

which is something of an idealization because you can only measure it approximately

 

I wouldn't restrict the idea. I would consider an ordinary (?) object like an iron cannonball to have a rest mass, or simply let's say a MASS. And that would be its inertia at rest, at whatever temperature it happens to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.