How Can Light Have No Mass Yet Transfer Energy?

[danielpherlio]

Ive been looking at the E = mc2 explained on youtube and apparently light has no mass how can it have no mass but you you can feel heat on your skin from light

 

[ModusPwnd]

Ive been looking at the E = mc2 explained on youtube and apparently light has no mass how can it have no mass but you you can feel heat on your skin from light

Why should feeling heat imply mass? That logic doesn't follow.

The equation you posted is for a massive particle at rest. Look up the full version of the equation for a clue on how to apply it to light.

 

[Nugatory]

Ive been looking at the E = mc2 explained on youtube and apparently light has no mass how can it have no mass but you you can feel heat on your skin from light

E = mc² applies only to things that have mass when they are at rest - and light is always moving with speed c, never at rest, so the equation doesn't apply. Instead, we have to use the more general equation:
$$E^2 = (m_{0}c^2)^2 + (pc)^2$$

Here p is the momentum and $m_0$ is the "rest mass" of the object; when people say that light has no mass they mean that its rest mass is zero. Light does however carry momentum (p is non-zero) so there's still some energy to warm your skin.

 

[danielpherlio]

Thanks nugatory

 

[sardar]

Light is often described as a wave-particle duality, meaning that it exhibits characteristics of both a wave and a particle. As a particle, it has no rest mass, meaning it does not have any physical substance or matter. However, it does have energy, which is why we can feel the heat from light on our skin.

According to the famous equation, E = mc^2, energy and mass are interchangeable. This means that although light has no mass, it still has energy. When light interacts with matter, it transfers its energy to the particles in the matter, causing them to vibrate and generate heat. This is how we feel the warmth of light on our skin.

Additionally, light is made up of particles called photons, which have no rest mass but do have momentum. This momentum is what allows light to travel and interact with matter, despite not having any mass.

In conclusion, while light may not have mass in the traditional sense, it still has energy and momentum, which allow it to have an impact on the world around us. This is why we can feel heat from light, even though it has no physical mass.