A famous relation in physics relates ‘moving mass m to the ‘rest mass’ m0 of a particle in terms of its speed v and the speed of light, c. (This relation first arose as a consequence of special relativity due to Albert Einstein). A boy recalls the relation almost correctly but forgets where to put the constant c. He writes :
m=m0(1−v2)1/2 .
Guess where to put the missing c.
Given the relation,
m = m(1 − v2)1/2
Dimension of m=[M1L0T0]
Dimension of m0=[M1L0T0]
Dimension of v=[M0L1T−1]
Dimension of
v2=[M0L2T−2]Dimension of c=[M0L1T−1]
The given formula will be dimensionally correct only when the dimension of L.H.S is the same as that of R.H.S.
This is only possible when the factor, (1 − v2)1/2 is dimensionless i.e., (1 – v2) is dimensionless. This is only possible if v2 is divided by c2. Hence, the correct relation is-
m = m0(1 − v2c2)1/2
© 2025 GoodEd Technologies Pvt. Ltd.