Science

3289 readers

22 users here now

General discussions about "science" itself

Be sure to also check out these other Fediverse science communities:

https://lemmy.ml/c/science

https://beehaw.org/c/science

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

222

Particle that only has mass when moving in one direction observed for first time (www.psu.edu)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

36 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It’s been a while since I took a physics class, but I’m pretty sure everything becomes more weightless as it gets farther from a gravitational pull. Things don’t normally become more mass-less though.

Or, is this a “whoosh” moment for me?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

The person you replied to said "weight", but the article - including direct quotes from the professor heading the team that found it - uses "mass" consistently.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If a material made up of quasi-particles is massless when moving away from gravity at ground level, why is the distinction important?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

…a material that is nigh weighless when moving away from gravity but gains mass again when moving towards it.

My brain hung a bit in this statement. I suppose I incorrectly interpreted “nigh weightless” as “losing weight”, which is what everything does as it leaves a gravity well.

It’s 4am here and I’m just browsing on my way to the airport, half asleep. So, please feel free to ignore this whole thing.