How does a photon travel at the speed of light?

As the value of v increases, so also does an object's mass, which requires an even greater amount of energy in order to continue at such a speed.



If this is true, then how can a photo travel at the speed of light? Would it's mass continue to grow and how could it be propelled?How does a photon travel at the speed of light?The speed of light is a constant denoted c and derived in special relativity. Light behaves as a particle, and as a wave, and discussions of various problems benefit from choosing one over the other. For this argument, I will talk of light in terms of a packet of electromagnetic energy ( a photon). A photon is thought to have no mass at all - that is no rest-mass. Rest-mass is that property of an object which resists acceleration when acted upon by a force and is invariant in all frames of reference. Since it has no mass it cannot be accelerated or decelerated. When a photon is emitted, it is 'born' already moving at the speed 'c'. When it hits an atom for example, it does not decelerate, but is absorbed and ceases to exist.



Although a photon has no rest mass, it is a packet of energy, and this can be converted to units of mass using M=E/(c^2).



c-squared is therefore a conversion factor between the units of energy, and an equivalent in terms of Kg. The big M in the equation is called 'relativistic mass' in many texts to differentiate it from rest-mass which is sometimes written m0.



Your description in the question is relevant to a particle that has non-zero rest-mass. It can be at rest, it can resist acceleration, and takes ever more energy to accelerate it towards the speed of light.



A charged particle can be accelerated to near the speed of light in a cyclotron. It's interesting how it does this. The particle is given a kick with an electromagnetic booster as it passes by while traveling in a loop. The next time it passes, it gets another kick, and so on. As the particle approaches relativistic speed, the timing of this kick needs to be adjusted to take account of its increased relativistic mass. This is one of the surest practical observations that it is not possible to accelerate a mass greater than c. (If that happened, the timing would be off). See the links for more information.How does a photon travel at the speed of light?
Isn't a "photon" just a form of light? That's what I thought I heard my professor say in Astronomy...could be wrong though I suppose...How does a photon travel at the speed of light?it steps on the gas pedal until it gets there, then it applies the cruise control
Seriously? Come on. Because I threw it really hard. We've talked about this before. I am SOOOOO totally faster than you, and you never believe me.How does a photon travel at the speed of light?A photon has no mass. You can multiply zero by any number and it will still be zero.How does a photon travel at the speed of light?
Ever seen an A t o m i c explosion? goto Youtube and look up the Tsar b o m b. OR New Mexico Nuclear test



A photon's energy comes from the result of a reaction, as on the sun Hydrogen reverts to Helium and back and forth trillions of times per second. each reaction expels photons.
Ive only tooken 1 physics class and that was last year. But the way i understand it is that a photon is a light particle. So basically ur asking why does light travel at speed of light. And i dont think a change in velocity equals a change in massHow does a photon travel at the speed of light?
Mass certainly does not increase near the speed of light. Photons travel at c because they are massless, and c is the invariant speed.
A photon is massless. It's a form of energy.



In relativity energy and mass are equivalent. This means that an object with more energy has more mass and hence more gravity. This varies depending where you are. For instance, if the Earth was passing you at half the speed of light it would appear more massive to you than to me here on Earth. As v increases, its rest mass (what you measure on a scale) stays the same. However, its relativistic mass (what gives it gravity) increases