Relativistic Mass

v/c

0

m

1

The theory of relativity predicts that apparent mass

m

of an object depends on the reference frame. The difference between apparent mass

m=

m

0

1-

2



v

c



and rest mass

m

0

is negligible at speeds

v

much less than the speed of light

c

. The value of the relativistic mass

m

for unit rest mass is shown on the graph with a green disk. The radius of the disk is proportional to the value of the relativistic mass and does not mean to indicate that the actual volume of the object changes.