The Concept of Mass

JUN 01, 1989

In the modern language of relativity theory there is only one mass, the Newtonian mass m, which does not vary with velocity; hence the famous formula

{E = mc}^{2}

has to be taken with a large grain of salt.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881171

Lev B. Okun

Mass is one of the most fundamental concepts of physics. Understanding and calculating the masses of the elementary particles is the central problem of modern physics, and is intimately connected with other fundamental problems such as the origin of CP violation, the mystery of the energy scales that determine the properties of the weak and gravitational interactions, the compositeness of particles, supersymmetry theory and the properties of the not‐yet‐discovered Higgs bosons.

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More about the Authors

Lev B. Okun. Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow, USSR.