Apparent
![Apparent mass
phys. made up: object's property describing how it bends the paths of other objects in violation of laws of ordinary physics. See fig 1. Also Newton, Einstein, gravity.
[An image of a Triangle-person traveling along a spiral path towards a bar of chocolate. In the first image they just whistle. In the second image they spot the chocolate (?). In the third image they are holding their tongue out and staring at the chocolate, their path bent towards the bar. On the fourth image they are even closer and try to reach the chocolate. On the fifth image they are almost touching it, mouth open and salivating.]
Fig 1. Chocolate exhibits high apparent mass, bending paths of other objects towards itself.](/images/258-apparent@1x.png)
Apparent mass
phys. made up: object’s property describing how it bends the paths of other objects in violation of laws of ordinary physics. See fig 1. Also Newton, Einstein, gravity.
[An image of a Triangle-person traveling along a spiral path towards a bar of chocolate. In the first image they just whistle. In the second image they spot the chocolate (?). In the third image they are holding their tongue out and staring at the chocolate, their path bent towards the bar. On the fourth image they are even closer and try to reach the chocolate. On the fifth image they are almost touching it, mouth open and salivating.]
Fig 1. Chocolate exhibits high apparent mass, bending paths of other objects towards itself.
In physics, an object’s gravity is directly and exactly dependent on its mass. A more massive object attracts other objects more strongly.
This comic puts this reasoning backwards (and steps out of the realm of reasonable physics.) If an object appears to attract other objects more strongly, therefore it must have higher gravity. If it has a higher gravity, it must have a higher mass. This is only logical.
But mass is a measure of how much matter is in an object. Object’s mass cannot be higher than it is, so we obviously need to invent a new term. Physics is rife with apparent stuff such as the centrifugal force or the coriolis force, so I feel like it’s not a big deal to add apparent mass to the pile.