I understand E = hv, but I’m not getting why photon collisions can “push” things instead of just producing heat. Thanks!
In: Physics
It’s a very commonly asked question.
Einstein’s mass energy equivalence formula that’s commonly used (E = mc^2) is incomplete. The full formula is:
E^2 = m^2 c^4 + p^2 c^2
Matter hardly ever gets to relativistic speeds, so we simplify the equation and only show the rest mass part.
But photons and other force carriers travel at the speed of causality, and while they have zero mass, they still have momentum.
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