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Question
Can we find the mass of a photon by the definition p = mv?
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Solution
No, we cannot find the mass of a photon by the definition p = mv. The equation p = mv is valid only for objects that move with a velocity that is much slower than the speed of light. The momentum of a relativistic particle like photon is given by `pc = sqrt(E^2 - m^2c^4)`. A photon has zero rest mass. Therefore, on putting m = 0 in the equation, we get `p = E/c` , which is the valid equation for a photon.
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