permass

Permass is a term encountered in speculative physics discussions and science fiction to denote a hypothetical invariant mass parameter that remains constant under a prescribed set of transformations or processes. It is distinct from conventional mass concepts in mainstream physics, where mass can vary with energy, configuration, or state.

The coinage blends "permanent" and "mass" to stress constancy. In standard physics mass is frame-invariant (rest mass) but can appear to change under energy shifts or relativistic effects. In permass frameworks, the parameter is postulated to endure across events such as compression, heating, or phase transitions, within a given theory.

In theoretical explorations, permass may be defined within modified dynamics or alternative gravity or matter models that introduce a conserved mass-like quantity. It is treated as an intrinsic system property and, within that framework, measurable by comparing the system's invariant mass before and after a process.

Because permass is hypothetical, there is no experimental confirmation. Its value and even its existence depend on the underlying theory. Observables would be indirect, inferred from gravitational effects or inertial responses that a permass-keeping model predicts differently from standard mass conservation.

In fiction and speculative essays, permass serves as a device to probe conservation laws, the nature of mass, and the limits of current physics. Authors may use permass to explore how a universe would behave if mass remained fixed under processes that normally change material density or energy content.

See also mass, rest mass, invariant mass, mass-energy equivalence, conservation laws, alternative theories of gravity.