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Re: [Phys-l] E=mc^2: On the use of "experts" testimony



Rauber wrote:
So even though one may find references to rel. mass in many places in
the "lay" media from these stars; I'd find it more interesting if not
convincing to know what they really do in their research papers, or
perhaps in their discussions in the hallway with other knowledgable
colleagues.

One is likely to use rel. mass only in the context of Special Relativity, and stress tensor in General Relativity. Some even prefer "mass is energy and energy is mass" in all context. It is unlikely that we can create a new terminology to *please* everyone.

It is, in a sense, *silly* to use "experts' testimony" in this debate. To be honest, we may look at Rachel Scherr's paper "Student understanding of time..." and realize the didactical difficulty. It is not just time, but space and mass, and Doppler Effect! The students may not quite understand these concepts because the teachers do not quite understand. We should not deprive the students of the learning opportunities from time dilation, length contraction, mass dilation and the fun in debate!

Alphonsus