Understanding the Higgs Boson Part 1

This is not a cartoony-fun show. I do real math and talk about real physical principles.

Part 2 will discuss the Weak force.

[jg]

RE virtual particles: That's QFT. In my mind, it's a crutch, a way of looking at things that seems to make sense but really provides no additional insight.

Relativity shows us that mass and energy are exchangeable. I don't know much beyond this, except that when you have lots of energy condensed in a region, it behaves as if it had more mass.

[jg]

The question about what a field is is deep and important. The answer cannot be given at this time with your background and understanding.

In Quantum Field Theory, we see that fields are simply mathematical descriptions of tiny, localized interactions between virtual particles and real particles. That's way, way beyond this material, however, and it's not useful to think this way --- yet.

[jg]

These are very deep questions without a good answer.

Electric fields don't have mass because it would violate mass conservation laws. You also can't "weigh" electric fields.

When you get to electrodynamics and Maxwell's Equations and its implications, you'll start to see things that suggest fields do have mass, and you'll start to see your conception of momentum begin to be divorced from mass.

[Imafungi]

So is mass, in other words, energy that does not move at the speed of light?Also I have lay-manly been looking into physics in my free time for a year or so now(I am really fascinated by comprehending the actual fundamental nature of the universe, what its composed of, how and why it works the way it does)so I have come across info on virtual and real particles.Is there evidence of virtual particle existence? or thats just the way to describe forceful action at a distance?

[Imafungi]

When was the first moment in the early universe that mass was thought to exist? You say electric fields dont have mass, why is that? What causes the electric field of a charge particle to extend outwards and have an effect on an area beyond the extent of the particle itself ( basically what and how is a field...where too)?