Working mass Working mass Working mass, also referred to as reaction mass, is a mass against which a system operates in order to produce acceleration. In the case of a rocket, for example, the reaction mass is the fuel shot backwards to provide propulsion. All acceleration requires an exchange of momentum, which can be thought of as the "unit of movement". Momentum is related to mass and velocity, as given by the formula "P = mv," where "P" is the momentum, "m" the mass, and "v" the velocity. The velocity of a body is easily changeable, but in most cases the mass
Mass–energy equivalence equivalence of mass and energy". In addition, Einstein used the formula , with being the energy of a system of mass points, to describe the energy and mass increase of that system when the velocity of the differently moving mass points is increased. In June 1907, Max Planck rewrote Einstein's mass–energy relationship as , where is the pressure and the volume to express the relation between mass, its "latent energy", and thermodynamic energy within the body. Subsequently, in October 1907, this was rewritten as and given a quantum interpretation by Johannes Stark, who assumed its validity and correctness ("Gültigkeit"). In