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    $\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? Why does binding energy of particles, which constitutes most of macroscopic mass, make them harder to accelerate? $\endgroup$
    – naturallyInconsistent
    Commented Jun 20 at 5:50
  • $\begingroup$ For even more details, see physics.stackexchange.com/a/804393/364064 $\endgroup$
    – naturallyInconsistent
    Commented Jun 20 at 5:53
  • $\begingroup$ I'm not sure. I guess I'm more looking to understand why potential energy can be treated the same as, say, thermal energy. Kinetic/thermal energy seem very different in character from potential energy, even though they are both forms of energy, and while I can visualize why maybe increasing thermal energy would make acceleration harder, I can't do the same with potential energy. $\endgroup$
    – Aidan Beecher
    Commented Jun 20 at 5:59
  • $\begingroup$ I'm trying to understand this more by visualizing what's happening to the individual particles experiencing the potential that makes the system harder to push around. I don't know if this is possible. $\endgroup$
    – Aidan Beecher
    Commented Jun 20 at 6:00
  • $\begingroup$ That is why I gave the first comment before the 2nd. You have to stop thinking of inertia as a property of mass. It is a property of energy. When an object has more energy, it will have more inertia, i.e. by definition, harder to push around. When negative potential energy robs that energy, then it becomes easier to push around. There is no visualisation possible. This is purely a mathematical connection, consequence, and not visualisable. $\endgroup$
    – naturallyInconsistent
    Commented Jun 20 at 6:07