Revealing the mechanism behind mass inertia

Mechanism-Revealed Physics (15/40) ----- by Bingcheng Zhao

Revealing the mechanism behind mass inertia: while the definition of mass inertia is taken for granted in physics, the mechanism behind mass inertia has not been revealed until the birth of OMDW law (*note, OMDW law = the law of object’s mass doing work, P. 93 ~ 109, Ch.1A, reference #1). Based on OMDW law, the mechanism of mass inertia is that: an object’s mass remains constant unless the object’s mass does positive or negative work due to the object’s kinetic energy is respectively increased or decreased by the action of external force. Specifically, when an object’s kinetic energy is being increased, the object’s mass is doing positive work, thus the object’s mass is decreasing. On the contrary, when an object’s kinetic energy is being decreased, the object’s mass is doing negative work, thus the object’s mass is increasing. In either situation, in order to change the mass of an object, the object’s mass has to do nonzero amount of work, i.e., an object’s mass is invariant unless the object’s mass is doing work (P. 105 ~ 106, 1.5.2, Ch.1A, reference #1).

The definition of mechanism-revealed mass inertia: an object’s mass remains constant unless the object’s mass does work due to the object’s kinetic energy is changed by the action of external force. Another similar version is: the mass of an object remains constant, whether the object is in a state of rest or in the motion of constant velocity, unless the object is acted on by unbalanced force (P. 106, reference #1).

The profound implications from the mechanism of mass inertia: (i) the change of an object’s mass requires the action of external force that changes the kinetic energy of the object. (ii) The equilibrium states described in Newton’s first inertia law turn out to be the conditions of any object’s mass remaining constant.

The key to understanding of the mechanism of mass inertia: as long as you have known the greatest equation in the history of science, which is Einstein’s famous mass-energy equation (E = mc^2 or E0 = mc^2), you will easily understand the mechanism of mass inertia, because OMDW law not only reveals the mechanism of mass inertia (P. 105, reference #1), but also reveals the mechanism behind mass-energy equation (P. 114 ~ 118, reference #1).

The applicable value of the mechanism of mass inertia: the mechanism of mass inertia turns out to be essentially connected with the concepts of mass possessing energy and mass doing work, thus being closely connected with the fundamental foundation for developing energy by releasing the ability of mass doing work, and this energy capacity is enormously large (P. 912, 10.3.1, Ch.10, reference #2).


Reference #1: 2009, Bingcheng Zhao, From Postulate-Based Modern Physics to Mechanism-Revealed Physics [Vol. 1(1/2)], ISBN: 978-1-4357-4913-9.
Reference #2: 2009, Bingcheng Zhao, From Postulate-Based Modern Physics to Mechanism-Revealed Physics [Vol. 2(2/2)], ISBN: 978-1-4357-5033-3.

Ph.D., Bingcheng Zhao,
The author of “From Postulate-Based Modern Physics to Mechanism-Revealed Physics”
1401 NE Merman Dr. Apt. 703, Pullman, WA 99163 USA.
Email: bingcheng.zhao@gmail.com