- #1
logos
- 2
- 0
I have devised a simple thought experiment which leads me to an absurd conclusion and I feel I’m missing something obvious but I can't see where I’m wrong and I hope you could help point out my error.
I start with an empty space initially containing two masses that are at rest relative to each other, the total energy of this system would be the rest mass (E=mc2) right?
But as time starts gravity will start accelerating these masses towards each other giving me the energy of the rest mass + a non 0 kinetic energy. This would in my mind imply either a decrease in the mass of the objects or an increase of the total energy of the closed system, neither of which seem logical?
Now I realize I’m probably missing something obvious here but I can't for my life figure out what…
I start with an empty space initially containing two masses that are at rest relative to each other, the total energy of this system would be the rest mass (E=mc2) right?
But as time starts gravity will start accelerating these masses towards each other giving me the energy of the rest mass + a non 0 kinetic energy. This would in my mind imply either a decrease in the mass of the objects or an increase of the total energy of the closed system, neither of which seem logical?
Now I realize I’m probably missing something obvious here but I can't for my life figure out what…