Predict/Calculate Consider a “relativistic air track” on which two identical air carts undergo a completely inelastic collision. One cart is initially at rest; the other has an initial speed of 0.650c. (a) In classical physics the speed of the carts after the collision would be 0.325c. Do you expect the final speed in this relativistic collision to be greater than or less than 0.325c? Explain (b) Use relativistic momentum conservation to find the speed of the carts after they collide and stick together.
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 29 Solutions
Physics (5th Edition)
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
College Physics
Essential University Physics: Volume 1 (3rd Edition)
Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)
Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics
The Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals (2nd Edition)
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics (4th Edition)
- Two powerless rockets are on a collision course. The rockets are moving with speeds of 0.800c and 0.600c and are initially 2.52 × 1012 m apart as measured by Liz, an Earth observer, as shown in Figure P1.34. Both rockets are 50.0 m in length as measured by Liz. (a) What are their respective proper lengths? (b) What is the length of each rocket as measured by an observer in the other rocket? (c) According to Liz, how long before the rockets collide? (d) According to rocket 1, how long before they collide? (e) According to rocket 2, how long before they collide? (f) If both rocket crews are capable of total evacuation within 90 min (their own time), will there be any casualties? Figure P1.34arrow_forwardOwen and Dina are at rest in frame S, which is moving with a speed of 0.600c with respect to frame S. They play a game of catch while Ed, at rest in frame S, watches the action (Fig. P26.45). Owen throws the ball to Dina with a speed of 0.800c (according to Owen) and their separation (measured in S) is equal to 1.80 1012 m. (a) According to Dina, how fast is the ball moving? (b) According to Dina, what time interval is required for the ball to reach her? According to Ed, (c) how far apart are Owen and Dina, and (d) how fast is the ball moving? Figure. P26.45arrow_forward(a) All but the closest galaxies are receding from our own Milky Way Galaxy. If a galaxy 12.0x109ly away is receding from us at 0.900c, at what velocity relative to us must we send an exploratory probe to approach the other galaxy at 0.990c as measured from that galaxy? (b) How long will it take the probe to reach the other galaxy as measured from Earth? You may assume that the velocity of the other galaxy remains constant. (c) How long will it then take for a radio signal to be beamed back? (All of this is possible in principle, but not practical.)arrow_forward
- An alien spaceship traveling at 0.600c toward the Earth launches a landing craft. The landing craft travels in the same direction with a speed of 0.800c relative to the mother ship. As measured on the Earth, the spaceship is 0.200 ly from the Earth when the landing craft is launched. (a) What speed do the Earth-based observers measure for the approaching landing craft? (b) What is the distance to the Earth at the moment of the landing crafts launch as measured by the aliens? (c) What travel time is required for the landing craft to reach the Earth as measured by the aliens on the mother ship? (d) If the landing craft has a mass of 4.00 105 kg, what is its kinetic energy as measured in the Earth reference frame?arrow_forward(a) How long would the mum] in Example 5.3 have lived as observed on Earth if its velocity was. 0.0500c? (b) How far would it have traveled as observed on Earth? (c) What distance is this in the muon’s frame?arrow_forwardConsider an electron moving with speed 0.980c. a. What is the rest mass energy of this electron? b. What is the total energyof this electron? c. What is the kinetic energy of this electron?arrow_forward
- (a) How long would the muon in Example 28.1 have lived as observed on the Earth if its velocity was 0.0500c ? (b) How far would it have traveled as observed on the Earth? (c) What distance is this in the muon's frame?arrow_forwardOwen and Dina are at rest in frame S, which is moving at 0.600c with respect to frame S. They play a game of catch while Ed, at rest in frame S, watches the action (Fig. P9.63). Owen throws the ball to Dina at 0.800c (according to Owen), and their separation (measured in S) is equal to 1.80 1012 m. (a) According to Dina, how fast is the ball moving? (b) According to Dina, what time interval is required for the ball to reach her? According to Ed, (c) how far apart are Owen and Dina, (d) how fast is the ball moving, and (e) what time interval is required for the ball to reach Dina? Figure P9.63arrow_forwardSuppose our Sun is about to explode. In an effort to escape, we depart in a spaceship at v = 0.80c and head toward the star Tau Ceti, 12 lightyears away. When we reach the midpoint of our journey from the Earth, we see our Sun explode and, unfortunately, at the same instant we see Tau Ceti explode as well. (a) In the spaceship’s frame of reference, should we conclude that the two explosions occurred simultaneously? If not, which occurred first? (b) In a frame of reference in which the Sun and Tau Ceti are at rest, did they explode simultaneously? If not, which exploded first?arrow_forward
- Unreasonable Results A spaceship is heading directly toward Earth at a velocity of 0.800c. The astronaut on board claims that he can send a canister toward the Earth at 1.20c relative to Earth. (a) Calculate the velocity the canister must have relative to the spaceship. (b) What is unreasonable about this result? (c) Which assumptions are unreasonable or inconsistent?arrow_forwardA starship is 1025 ly from the Earth when measured in the rest frame of the Earth. The ship travels at a speed of 0.80c on its way back to the Earth. a. How much time will it take for the ship to return to the Earth as measured by the Earth observer? b. How much time will it take for the ship to return to the Earth as measured by the crew of the ship?arrow_forwardAs measured in a laboratory reference frame, a linear accelerator ejects a proton with a speed of 0.780c. Moments later, a muon is ejected at a speed of 0.920c as measured in the laboratory reference frame. What is the speed of the proton in a reference frame where the velocity of the muon is zero?arrow_forward
- Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based TextPhysicsISBN:9781133104261Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningPhysics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern ...PhysicsISBN:9781337553292Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningPhysics for Scientists and EngineersPhysicsISBN:9781337553278Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage Learning
- University Physics Volume 3PhysicsISBN:9781938168185Author:William Moebs, Jeff SannyPublisher:OpenStaxCollege PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781938168000Author:Paul Peter Urone, Roger HinrichsPublisher:OpenStax CollegePhysics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations...PhysicsISBN:9781133939146Author:Katz, Debora M.Publisher:Cengage Learning