Phones are getting lighter, but can data affect their weight?
Mobile phones have come a long way from those ridiculously heavy brick phones of the 1980’s. Cell phones have been miniaturized for today’s standards, but they pack a lot more punch and features than their bulky ancestors.
But while your sleek flagship device looks nice, flat, and is pretty light, it still takes up considerable space in your pocket or purse. To add to that, today’s smartphones still weigh enough to be noticeable (and sometimes uncomfortable) when you carry them around.
So here’s an admittedly weird question: Does your smartphone get even heavier when its full of data?
As strange as this question sounds, it’s actually worth taking a look. This post has the surprising answer, so read on to find out.
Do smartphones weigh more when they are filled with data? The obvious answer:
The weight of a smartphone is primarily determined by its components and any materials used to manufacture the device. This means physical materials like metal, plastic, glass, and other materials, each of which has its own weight.
In addition, your smartphone has several components, such as the battery, display, motherboard, and even your phone plan’s SIM card, which all add to its weight as well.
On a normal day, most people would agree that these physical components and materials are the only factors that contribute to how much a phone weighs. But this isn’t a normal day – there is another answer, which is less obvious. In fact, we’d have to turn to science to determine whether data, which is not physical, can actually make your phone heavier than it already is.
Do smartphones weigh more when they are filled with data? The scientific answer:
A scientist who knows her/his stuff, will likely answer Yes, your phone weighs more when its full of data. Why is that?
According to NPR science correspondent Robert Krulwich, “Information is stored [on electrons]… And electrons are very small. But they do have mass. Einstein taught us that. So it’s possible to take all the energy (E)… and, using Einstein’s equation, (E = mc2) turn that energy into something we can weigh.“
So let’s go straight to the source – what would Albert Einstein say?
Einstein gave us the theory of special relativity, which states that energy and mass are equivalent, which is what Mr. Krulwich referred to. Based on this theory, data, although not a physical object, is stored in the form of bits and bytes, which are made up of tiny electrical charges on a storage device. And as Einstein taught us, electrical charges have mass, which mean data does, in fact weigh something.
But is the weight of data significant enough to be noticeable? Well, that’s a different question entirely, but one that is relevant to answering the question of whether your phone weighs more when it’s full of data.
Does data add weight to your smartphone? The real answer:
In theory, yes, data does add weight to your smartphone. But in practice, no – the added mass is so small that is cannot be measured by today’s technology. This is because the amount of data stored on a phone is stored in the form of bits and bytes, which are made up of tiny electrical charges on a storage device. These charges have a tiny amount of mass, but the total mass is so small that it would not have a noticeable effect on the weight of the phone.
To put it into perspective, the smallest unit of data, a bit, is made up of two states: 1 and 0. These states are represented by the presence or absence of an electrical charge on a storage device, such as a hard drive or solid-state drive. These charges have mass, but the total mass of the charges is so small that it would not have a noticeable effect on the weight of the phone.
The key to understanding all of this is understanding energy. Energy changes affect mass, and therefore affect weight. Data is stored in binary form on your phone, either in ones or zerous, as we previously stated. Changes occur by either replacing ones with zeroes and vice versa. Yes, data on your phone isn’t physical, so its difficult to imagine any significant weight changes. But because constants and changes determine increases and decreases in energy used, the changes in your data’s binary numbers also determine changes in mass.
If this is confusing, we understand. Let’s turn to Gareth Mitchell for BBC Science Focus for a simpler explanation: “Another way of thinking about it is that the atoms in the memory have magnetic-like properties. Groups of atoms align in one direction or the other according to whether they are storing a 1 or a 0 and will possess differing amounts of energy according to how they are aligned.”
To put it into perspective:
- The weight of a phone is determined by the materials used to make it and the components it contains.
- The electrical charges that make up the bits and bytes of data stored on the phone would add a tiny, immeasurable amount of mass.
- However, the change in weight due to the amount of data stored on a phone would be extremely small and likely not noticeable.
Final words
Your noticeable weight of your phone is due to its physical components and materials. However, just because you can’t notice something doesn’t mean it’s not there. While you can’t touch data, it’s actually there. The changes (or constants, also) in data determine the energy used, which result in changes in mass, and therefore weight.
So here’s the not-so-straightforward answer: Yes and no. Data does have mass, and therefore adds weight to your phone, but it is absolutely not noticeable or measurable by today’s technology.