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PH 501:assignment 2: 1 Note

This document provides the problems for PH 501 Assignment 2 due on February 16, 2015. It notes that the tutor Apoorva Ojha will have a tutorial session that day to answer any questions about the problems, and that there will be a quiz on February 13. It then lists 8 problems dealing with topics in relativistic physics, such as time dilation between decaying nuclei, Doppler shifts, Lorentz transformations, momentum, energy conservation, and photon rocket propulsion.

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32 views

PH 501:assignment 2: 1 Note

This document provides the problems for PH 501 Assignment 2 due on February 16, 2015. It notes that the tutor Apoorva Ojha will have a tutorial session that day to answer any questions about the problems, and that there will be a quiz on February 13. It then lists 8 problems dealing with topics in relativistic physics, such as time dilation between decaying nuclei, Doppler shifts, Lorentz transformations, momentum, energy conservation, and photon rocket propulsion.

Uploaded by

adminsurya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PH 501:Assignment 2

February 6, 2015

Due February 16, 2015

Note

Each question carries ten points. There will be a tutorial session on February 16 when any
of your questions about these problems would be answered by Apoorva Ojha, who is the
tutor for this course. Remember that you will have a quiz on Feb 13.
Problem 1.1. Two unstable nuclei move along a straight line, each with velocity v = 0.9c
along the positive x axis. The distance of separation is 100 m. An observer attached to the
nuclei observes them decay simultaneously, emitting flashes of light in the process. Do they
decay at the same time according to a person in the laboratory? If not, what is the time
difference between the two decays?
Problem 1.2. An observer receives light from a source of light which is moving with a
velocity v; the angle between v and the line between the observer and the source is at the
time the light is emitted. If the observer sees no net redshift or blueshift, what is in terms
of v?
Problem 1.3. Define an imaginary coordinate w = it. Under what conditions does a Lorentz
transformation defined in this new set of coordinates (it, x) correspond to a rotation by an
angle ? Note that is purely imaginary. What is the velocity v in terms of ?
Problem 1.4. (a). Write an expression for the momentum of a particle in terms of its
kinetic energy T and rest mass m0 . (b). An electrons total energy is n times its rest energy.
What is its momentum?
Problem 1.5. A particle of rest mass m0 and kinetic energy 2m0 c2 strikes and sticks to a
stationary particle of rest mass 2m0 . Find the rest mass M0 of the composite particle.
Problem 1.6. (a). Prove the relativistic dispersion relation: E 2 = p2 c2 + m20 c4 . (b). Prove
that for the inelastic collision of two identical objects discussed in class, the total energy is
conserved in either frame (as it should be!).
Problem 1.7. A particle of rest mass m0 and kinetic energy 2m0 c2 strikes and sticks to a
stationary particle of rest mass 2m0 . Find the rest mass M0 of the composite particle.
Problem 1.8. A photon rocket uses pure radiation as the propellant. If the initial and
final rest masses of the rocket are Mi and Mf , show that the final velocity v of the rocket
relative to its initial rest frame is given by the equation:
r
c+v
Mi
=
.
Mf
cv
1

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