• CaptSneeze@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    11 hours ago

    It’s been a while since I took a physics class, but I’m pretty sure everything becomes more weightless as it gets farther from a gravitational pull. Things don’t normally become more mass-less though.

    Or, is this a “whoosh” moment for me?

    • Skua@kbin.earth
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      11 hours ago

      The person you replied to said “weight”, but the article - including direct quotes from the professor heading the team that found it - uses “mass” consistently.

    • atro_city@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      11 hours ago

      If a material made up of quasi-particles is massless when moving away from gravity at ground level, why is the distinction important?

      • CaptSneeze@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        11 hours ago

        …a material that is nigh weighless when moving away from gravity but gains mass again when moving towards it.

        My brain hung a bit in this statement. I suppose I incorrectly interpreted “nigh weightless” as “losing weight”, which is what everything does as it leaves a gravity well.

        It’s 4am here and I’m just browsing on my way to the airport, half asleep. So, please feel free to ignore this whole thing.