Why do objects gain mass while approaching the speed of light
You push them to make them faster increasing their momentum. However they can not go a lot faster so that increased momentum shows up as mass rather than velocity.
m = mo/sqrt (1 -v^2/c^2)
as v ---> c
the mass gets huge approaching undefined.
Objects gain mass as they approach the speed of light due to a phenomenon called relativistic mass. This concept is a consequence of Einstein's theory of special relativity.
To understand why this happens, let's start with the principle that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum. As an object accelerates, its energy also increases. According to the famous equation E=mc², where E is the energy, m is the mass, and c is the speed of light, we can see that energy and mass are directly related.
As an object approaches the speed of light, its energy keeps increasing. However, since the speed of light is a constant, the energy increase cannot be infinite. To compensate, the object's mass must increase to maintain the equation E=mc². Therefore, the mass of an object increases as it gains energy while approaching the speed of light.
It's important to note that this relativistic mass is a concept used to simplify calculations and describe the behavior of objects in high-speed contexts. In reality, an object's intrinsic mass, called rest mass, remains constant regardless of its speed. Nonetheless, when dealing with relativistic velocities, it is common to refer to the increased effective mass of an object due to its high energy content.