The Mass Of An Object — What Does That Mean?

Here are 3 explanations in plain language, explaining mass

It is hard to understand what the mass of an object really means, and why mass exists. Many people think mass and weight are the same thing, but they are not.

Here is the explanation of mass, plainly put in 3 separate versions to help you grasp the idea of this slightly complex subject.

1. Here’s how I would explain what mass is and why it exists

Everything in the universe is made up of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms are made up of even smaller particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. The protons and neutrons cluster together in the center of the atom, while the electrons zip around them.

These particles have a certain amount of energy inside them, holding them together. We call this intrinsic energy “mass.” An object’s mass represents how much stuff it contains. More particles means more mass.

But where does this mass come from? Why do particles have this unchanging mass inside them? The answer lies in something called the Higgs field. Imagine the Higgs field like an invisible web spread across the entire universe. As particles move through space, they interact with this Higgs field. It acts like a sticky molasses that creates a drag on the particles, making them act like they have mass.

Some particles don’t interact with the Higgs field at all. These particles, like photons of light, have no mass and zip through space at the speed of light. For other particles like electrons, their interaction with the Higgs field gives them a small but measurable mass. This mass allows them to bind together with other particles to form atoms and molecules — the building blocks of the universe!

So in summary, mass arises due to particles interacting with an invisible Higgs field as they move through space. This gives them an intrinsic mass that makes up the stuff we see in the world around us. Pretty cool how the entire diversity of the universe arises from these simple particle interactions!

2. Let’s break this down into simpler terms

Mass is basically how much “stuff” is in an object. If you think about a rock, the mass is a measure of how much rock there is. But what’s really cool is that mass is actually a kind of energy that’s not moving around — it’s like energy that’s taking a nap. Scientists have this famous equation, E=mc², which was figured out by Albert Einstein, and it tells us that energy and mass are two sides of the same coin.

Now, when we zoom way in on things, all the way down to atoms, it turns out that most of what’s inside an atom is actually energy that’s holding the atom’s tiny parts together. These tiny parts are called quarks, and they stick together with what’s called the strong nuclear force. So, even though an atom might seem solid, it’s mostly just this binding energy, and only a tiny bit of it is the actual mass.

So why does mass even exist? Well, when the universe was just a baby, it was super hot and everything was zooming around at the speed of light. But as it cooled down, something called the Higgs field popped up. You can think of the Higgs field like a thick syrup that’s everywhere in the universe. Some particles, when they move through this syrup, get slowed down and that’s what gives them mass. It’s like trying to run in a pool; the water makes you feel heavier and slows you down.

Photons, which are particles of light, don’t get slowed down by this syrupy Higgs field, so they don’t have mass and zip around at the speed of light. Neutrinos are super tiny particles that we’re not sure if they get slowed down by the Higgs field or not — they might have just a teeny bit of mass, or they might be massless like photons.

One really important particle that does get slowed down by the Higgs field is the electron. Electrons are super important because they’re what make chemistry happen. If electrons moved at the speed of light, they wouldn’t hang around atoms to make molecules, and without molecules, we wouldn’t have the stuff that makes up our world — including us! So, thanks to the Higgs field interacting with particles like electrons, we have mass, chemistry, and everything that comes with it.

3. Okay, imagine you have a bunch of tiny building blocks called atoms

Now, each of these atoms is made up of even tinier parts like protons, neutrons, and electrons. These parts are always moving and buzzing around. Now, when we talk about mass, we’re talking about how much stuff there is in an object, how much it weighs. But here’s the twist: most of the weight of an atom actually comes from something called binding energy, which is like a glue holding those tiny parts together. The actual “stuff” that makes up mass, like the protons and neutrons, is just a tiny fraction of the whole atom.

Now, mass exists because of something called the Higgs field. Imagine this field as a kind of invisible syrup spread throughout the universe. When particles like protons, neutrons, and electrons move through this syrupy field, they experience resistance, like trying to walk through thick mud. This resistance is what gives them mass.

Think of it like this: if you’re trying to walk through thick mud, you’ll find it harder to move, right? That’s kind of what happens with particles moving through the Higgs field. This resistance to movement is what we identify as mass.

Now, there are some particles, like photons (which make up light), that don’t really interact with this syrupy field. Since they don’t get slowed down by it, they don’t have mass and can move at the speed of light. But if, say, electrons didn’t interact with this field, they’d also be moving at light speed, and that would mess up a lot of things, including the chemistry that makes life possible.

The difference between mass and weight

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and remains constant regardless of its location, while weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity and varies with changes in gravitational field strength.

So, in a nutshell, mass is basically a similar concept to the “weight” of stuff, and it exists because particles interact with this invisible syrupy field throughout the universe, which slows them down and gives them their mass.