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Planck mass
 
 
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In physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, the Planck mass (mP) is the unit of mass
Mass

In physical science, mass refers to the degree of acceleration a body acquires when subject to a force: bodies with greater mass are accelerated less by the same force....
 in the system of natural units
Natural units

In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in such a way that certain selected universal physical constants are normalized to unity; that is, their numerical value becomes exactly 1 when measured in some system of natural units....
 known as Planck units
Planck units

Planck units are units of measurement named after the German physicist Max Planck, who first proposed them in 1899. They are an example of natural units, i.e....
. The name honors Max Planck
Max Planck

Karl Ernst Ludwig Marx Planck, better known as Max Planck was a Germany physicist. He is considered to be the founder of the Quantum mechanics, and one of the most important physicists of the twentieth century....
, who was the first to propose it.

˜ 1.2209 × 1019 GeV
GEV

GEV may stand for:*Generalized extreme value distribution*Electronvolt*Wing-In-Ground effect vehicle*G.E.V., a tabletop game by Steve Jackson games, based on Ogre_...
/c2 = 2.17644(11) × 10-8 kg,

where

The standard error
Standard error

Standard error can refer to:* Standard error , the estimated standard deviation or error of a series of measurements* Standard error stream, one of the standard streams in Unix-like operating systems...
 of the estimated value is enclosed in parentheses. A more expanded form of this last expression is mP = 2.17644 × 10-8 kg ± 0.00011 × 10-8 kg.

Particle physicists
Particle physics

Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary particle constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them....
 and cosmologists
Physical cosmology

Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of our universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution....
 often use the reduced Planck mass, which is ˜ 4.340 µg = 2.43 × 1018 GeV
GEV

GEV may stand for:*Generalized extreme value distribution*Electronvolt*Wing-In-Ground effect vehicle*G.E.V., a tabletop game by Steve Jackson games, based on Ogre_...
/c2. The added factor of 8p simplifies a number of equations in general relativity
General relativity

General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the Geometry Theoretical physics of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916....
.

ke all other Planck base units
Planck units

Planck units are units of measurement named after the German physicist Max Planck, who first proposed them in 1899. They are an example of natural units, i.e....
 and most Planck derived units, the Planck mass is a macroscopic amount, having a scale more or less conceivable to human
Human

A human being, also human or man, is a member of a species of bipedalism primates in the family Hominidae . Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago....
s.






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Encyclopedia


In physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, the Planck mass (mP) is the unit of mass
Mass

In physical science, mass refers to the degree of acceleration a body acquires when subject to a force: bodies with greater mass are accelerated less by the same force....
 in the system of natural units
Natural units

In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in such a way that certain selected universal physical constants are normalized to unity; that is, their numerical value becomes exactly 1 when measured in some system of natural units....
 known as Planck units
Planck units

Planck units are units of measurement named after the German physicist Max Planck, who first proposed them in 1899. They are an example of natural units, i.e....
. The name honors Max Planck
Max Planck

Karl Ernst Ludwig Marx Planck, better known as Max Planck was a Germany physicist. He is considered to be the founder of the Quantum mechanics, and one of the most important physicists of the twentieth century....
, who was the first to propose it.

˜ 1.2209 × 1019 GeV
GEV

GEV may stand for:*Generalized extreme value distribution*Electronvolt*Wing-In-Ground effect vehicle*G.E.V., a tabletop game by Steve Jackson games, based on Ogre_...
/c2 = 2.17644(11) × 10-8 kg,

where
  • c = speed of light
    Speed of light

    The speed of light in an free space is an important physical constant usually written as c, with a value of 299,792,458 metres per second....
     in a vacuum;
  • G = gravitational constant
    Gravitational constant

    The gravitational constant, denoted G, is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of the gravitation between objects with mass....
    ;
  • (pronounced "h-bar") is the reduced Planck constant.


The standard error
Standard error

Standard error can refer to:* Standard error , the estimated standard deviation or error of a series of measurements* Standard error stream, one of the standard streams in Unix-like operating systems...
 of the estimated value is enclosed in parentheses. A more expanded form of this last expression is mP = 2.17644 × 10-8 kg ± 0.00011 × 10-8 kg.

Particle physicists
Particle physics

Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary particle constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them....
 and cosmologists
Physical cosmology

Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of our universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution....
 often use the reduced Planck mass, which is ˜ 4.340 µg = 2.43 × 1018 GeV
GEV

GEV may stand for:*Generalized extreme value distribution*Electronvolt*Wing-In-Ground effect vehicle*G.E.V., a tabletop game by Steve Jackson games, based on Ogre_...
/c2. The added factor of 8p simplifies a number of equations in general relativity
General relativity

General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the Geometry Theoretical physics of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916....
.

Significance

Unlike all other Planck base units
Planck units

Planck units are units of measurement named after the German physicist Max Planck, who first proposed them in 1899. They are an example of natural units, i.e....
 and most Planck derived units, the Planck mass is a macroscopic amount, having a scale more or less conceivable to human
Human

A human being, also human or man, is a member of a species of bipedalism primates in the family Hominidae . Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago....
s. For example, the body mass of a flea
Flea

Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects whose mouthparts are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood....
 is roughly 4000 to 5000 mP.

The Planck mass has a Schwarzschild radius
Schwarzschild radius

The Schwarzschild radius is a characteristic radius associated with every mass. It is the radius for a given mass where, if that mass could be compressed to fit within that radius, no known force or Degenerate matter could stop it from continuing to collapse into a gravitational singularity....
 equal to the Compton wavelength
Compton wavelength

The Compton wavelength is a quantum mechanics property of a particle. It was introduced by Arthur Compton in his explanation of the scattering of photons by electrons ....
 divided by p
Pi

Pi or p is a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean geometry; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle's area to the square of its radius....
. The Planck mass is also the mass of the Planck particle
Planck particle

A Planck particle is a hypothetical subatomic particle, defined as a tiny black hole whose Compton wavelength is the same as its Schwarzschild radius....
, a hypothetical minuscule black hole
Black hole

In general relativity, a black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, including electromagnetic radiation , can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon....
 whose Schwarzschild radius equals the Planck length
Planck length

In physics, the Planck length, denoted , is unit of length, equal to about 1.6 × 10-33 centimeters. It is a base unit in the system of Planck units, the most widely used system of natural units....
.

The Planck mass is an idealized mass thought to have special significance for quantum gravity
Quantum gravity

Quantum gravity is the field of theoretical physics attempting to unify quantum mechanics, which describes three of the Fundamental interaction , with general relativity, the theory of the fourth fundamental force: Gravitation....
 when general relativity
General relativity

General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the Geometry Theoretical physics of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916....
 and the fundamentals of quantum physics
Quantum theory

Quantum theory may mean:In science:* Old quantum theory under the Bohr model* Quantum mechanics, an umbrella term sometimes for all of quantum physics, but sometimes for just non-relativistic theories...
 become mutually important to describe mechanics.

See also


  • Planck length
    Planck length

    In physics, the Planck length, denoted , is unit of length, equal to about 1.6 × 10-33 centimeters. It is a base unit in the system of Planck units, the most widely used system of natural units....
  • Planck particle
    Planck particle

    A Planck particle is a hypothetical subatomic particle, defined as a tiny black hole whose Compton wavelength is the same as its Schwarzschild radius....
  • Orders of magnitude (mass)
    Orders of magnitude (mass)

    To help compare different Order of magnitude, the following list describes various mass levels between 10−36 kilogram and 1053 kg....


External links