Special Theory of Relativity Problems Not be solved in the class

1.1 Lorentz Transformation

1. The time interval between two ticks of two identical clocks is 2.0 s. One of the two clocks is set into
motion so that its speed relative to the observer, who holds the other clock, is 0.6c. What is the time
interval between the ticks of the moving clock as measured by the observer with the stationary clock?
[Ans.: (10 / 3) s]
2. The incoming primary cosmic rays create -mesons in the upper atmosphere. The lifetime of -mesons
at rest is 2 s. If the mean speed of meson is 0.998 c, what fraction of -mesons created at a height
of 20 km reach the sea level?
[Ans.: 0.12]
3. Observer A is at rest in frame S moving horizontally past an inertial frame S at a speed of 0.6c. A boy
in the frame S drops a ball, which according to the clock of observer A falls for 1.5s. How long will the
ball fall for an observer B at rest in S frame?
[Ans.: 1. 2 s]
4. A rod flies with a constant velocity past a mark, which is stationary in reference frame S. In reference
frame S, it takes 20 ns for the rod to fly past the mark. In the reference frame fixed to the rod, S, the
mark moves past the rod for 25 ns. Find the length of the rod in S and S and the speed of S with
respect to S.
[Ans.: 3.6 m, 4.5 m, 0.6 c]
7. In frame S, a lightening strikes at x = L and t = 0. For an observer sitting at the origin of S, what is the
time when the light from the lightening reaches him? Another frame S moves with velocity v in +x
direction. The origin of S and S were coincident at t = t = 0. What is the time in the watch of an
observer sitting at the origin of S? Yet another observer is sitting at the origin of a frame S, which is
moving with velocity v in +y direction. The origins of S and S were also coincident at t=t=0.
According to S, what is the distance of the spot from him, where the lightening strikes. Also find the
time in his watch, when he receives the light signal.
[Ans.: L/c, (L/c)(1-v/c), L, L/c]
8. Two guns, A and B, located at x A= 0 and xB = 1.5 km, fire at a rocket, which is moving in x-direction.
Gun A fires at t = 0 s, while the gun B fires at t =1. 0 s. The persons on the rocket record the flashes
from both the guns as the simultaneous events. Determine the rockets velocity, assuming it to be
constant. If these events appear to be simultaneous to another observer in a rocket, which is moving
up, making an angle of 60o with the x-direction, what is the speed of this rocket?
[Ans.: 0. 2c, 0.4c]

1.2. Velocity Transformation; space like, time like intervals:

12. A rod of proper length is oriented parallel to x-axis in a frame S and is moving with a speed u along
the same direction. Find its length in a frame S that is moving with speed v along the +x-direction of
S.
[Ans.: [(c2-v2)(c2-u2)]1/2/(c2-uv)]
13. An observer in a frame of reference S measures the length of a moving rod to be 1 m. Another
observer in the rest frame S of the rod, disputes the validity of the measurements by pointing out
that the end A of the rod was measured 2.510-9 s before the end B of the rod. A yet another
observer S frame finds that in fact the end B was measured 2.510-9 s before end A. Find the
relative speed of S and S in terms of c, if all the motions as well as the rod axis is collinear.
[Ans.: 2.65108 m/s]
14. Two rockets A and B depart from earth at steady speeds of 0.6 c in opposite directions, having
synchronized clocks with each other and with earth at departure. After one year as measured in
Earths frame, rocket B emits a light signal. At what time, in the frames of earth and rockets A and B,

does rocket A receive the signal? Work out the problem in all the three frames and verify the answers
are same. Use unit of distance as light year and that of time as a year.
[Ans.: 4, 3.2, 6.8 years]

3
2
17. Two runners A and B are running on the ground with constant speeds of 0.6c and
c in the +x
direction along the lines y = 0 and y = 2 km, respectively. Assume the ground to be an inertial frame
of reference and call it S. The runner A is found to cross the y axis (i.e., the x = 0 line) at t = 0, while
the runner B crosses the same line at time t = to.
(i)
In frame S, the runner B is found to reach the x = 9 km line, 10-5 sec earlier than runner A.
Find to. According to runner B, how much earlier did he reach the x = 9 km line than runner
A?

(ii)

Consider a frame
x-y plane such that

, the origin of which coincides with that of S at t = 0.

is moving in the

axis makes an angle with the x axis. What is the least value of for

which an observer in

will find A and B to cross the y-axis (i.e., the x = 0 line)

simultaneously? What is the least value of v (the relative velocity between S and

which an observer in
simultaneously?

) for

will find A and B to cross the y-axis (i.e., the x = 0 line)

(iii)

If
is the frame corresponding to the least velocity found above, find the velocity of B in
this frame.
[Ans.: 5.410-6s, 210-5s, 54o, 2.43108m/s, ux=0.51 c, uy=-2.43108m/s]

18. Two events A and B occur in S at time 0.3 and 0.4 s at positions 150 and 210 m respectively. Where
and when would these events occur in S; if S moves with a relative velocity of (i) 0.6 c, (ii) 0.6c.
Could these two events appear to be simultaneous to an observer in another frame? If yes what
would be the velocity of that frame relative to S? Find the proper time interval between these two
events in different frames and show that it is same.
[Ans.: 120m, 0 s, 172.5 m, -0.025 s, 255m, 0.75 s, 352.5m, 1.025 s, 0.5 c, 0.17is]
19. Two events A and B occur at tA = 0.3 s and xA=150m and tB = 0.6 s and xB=210m respectively in an
inertial frame. Examine if there can be a suitable frame in which these two events (i) are simultaneous
and (ii) occur at same place. Find their velocities with respect to the first frame. Find the proper time
interval between these two events. What would be the coordinates of these two events in a frame that
is moving with speed 0.8c? Calculate the proper time interval in this frame and verify that it turns out
to be the same.
[Ans.: At same place, 2c/3, 0.22 s]

1.3. Relativistic Momentum and Energy

20. A particle of rest mass m o has a energy 4 m oc2. Find the momentum in the units of m oc. What is the
energy of the particle in a frame in which its momentum is 2 m oc?
[Ans.: 15 mo c, 5 mo c2]
21. Find the speed of an electron, which has a kinetic energy equal to 0.1 MeV, according to classical and
relativistic mechanics.
[Ans.: 1.87 108 m/s; 1.64 108 m/s ]
22. The total energy of a particle is exactly twice its rest energy. Find its speed.

[Ans.: (3/2)c]
23. Find the change of energy of an electron if its speed is increased from 1.2108 m/s to 2.4108 m/s.
[Ans.: .3 MeV]

2
moc2. Calculate its momentum in units of moc. In

24. In frame S, a particle of mass mo has energy

S
frame

3
moc. Calculate its energy in the units of moc2. Now

, the same particle has momentum

assume that the relative velocity of S and

Calculate the velocity of

is along the same axis as the velocity of the particle.

in S in the units of c.

[Ans.: 1/2, 3/2, 0.26]

25. Muons of kinetic energy 100 GeV are observed to travel 600 km in vacuum before they decay.
Calculate the mean lifetime for the muon when it is at rest. (Rest mass of the muon = 1.89 10-28 kg;
1GeV=109 eV)
[Ans.: 2.1s]

1.4. Momentum and Energy Conservation

26. A hypothetical particle in flight (with speed v) decays into two photons, whose path make equal angle
with the original direction of velocity of the particle. Show that the photons have equal energy and
that cos = v / c.
27. A -meson of mass 760 MeV/c2 decays at rest decays into two -mesons of mass 140 MeV/c2 each.
Find the relative velocity of the -mesons with respect to each other.
[Ans.: 0.997 c]
28. A particle of rest mass m and speed v collides and sticks to a stationary particle of mass M. What is
the final velocity of the composite particle? Compare it with the classical velocity when v = 0.9 c and
m=M.
[Ans.: mv / (m +M)]
29. A particle of rest mass m o and kinetic energy 6 m oc2 strikes and sticks to an identical particle at rest.
Find the rest mass of the resultant particle.
[Ans.: 4 mo]
30. A particle of rest mass M o and total energy 3Moc2, decays into two identical particles of rest mass m o.
Find the velocities of the two particles, given that the decay products move long the direction of
motion of the parent particle.
ux v
4mo 2
8
with u x 1
c and v
c
2
u v
3
Mo
1 x
c2
[Ans.:
]
31. Assume that a hypothetical particle X of mass 4m e (me is mass of electron) can be produced as a
result of collision between an electron and a positron. Imagine the following two situations.
k
k
(a) The momentum of the electron is p

and that of positron is -p . Find p.

k
(b) The electron is at rest and positron has momentum q . Find q and the velocity of X.
[Ans.:3mec,48 mec, (3/2)c]

 1 / 1 (v 2 / c 2 )
32. A proton with
collides with a proton at rest. If the two photons rebound with equal
energies, find the angle between them.
1

cos1
3
[Ans.:
]
33. A particle A decays into two particles B and C. The rest mass energy of A, B and C are 140 MeV, 100
MeV and zero respectively. In the rest frame of A, calculate the momenta of the decay products. Also
calculate the velocity of B in rest frame of A and the velocity of C in the rest frame of B.
[Ans.: 34.29 MeV/c, .324 c, c]

1.5. Momentum Transformation and Four Vectors

34. In the laboratory frame a particle of rest mass m o and speed 3c/2 is moving towards another particle
of rest mass mo at rest. Find the speed of the inertial frame in which the total momentum of the
system is zero.
[Ans.: c/3]
35. An electron of total energy 1.4 MeV collides with another electron, which is at rest in the laboratory (L)
frame. After collision the target electron scatters at an angle of 45 o in the center of mass (C) frame.
Find the energy and the momentum components of the target electron after the scatter in the center
of mass and laboratory frames. (Rest mass energy of electron 0.51 MeV)
[Ans.: C-frame: E = 0.7 MeV,; L-frame: px= 1.11 MeV/c; py = 0.34 MeV/c]
36. The speed of a particle of rest mass 135 MeV / c 2 is measured to be 0.8 c in a frame S. The frame S is
observed to move with a speed of 0.6 c in another frame S. All the motions are collinear and are
taken to be along x-axis. (i) Find the components of the four momentum of the particle in S and S
frame. (ii) In S, it is found that the particle decays into two photons. Each of the photon makes an
angle with the initial direction of the particle. Find the angle and the energy of the particle in this
frame. (iii) Find the angle that the photons would make in S frame and also its energy in this frame.
[Ans.: 18.9o, 208.125 MeV, 36.9o, 112.5 MeV]

37. Two identical particles each of rest mass M and kinetic energy T are moving towards each other with
relativistic speeds. Find the kinetic energy of one particle in the rest frame of the other particle. Also
show that in the classical limit, the answer reduces to the Newtonian value. Work out the problem in
following different ways.
(i)
By calculation of relative speed of the particles.
(ii)
By applying momentum energy transformation on a single particle.
(iii)
By applying momentum energy transformation on the system of two particles.
(iv)
By evaluating the momentum energy four vector for the system of two particles and using the
fact that its length is same in all inertial frames.
[Ans.: (2T2+4TMc2) / Mc2]
2
38. (a) A muon of rest mass 106 MeV/c collides head on and fuses with a neutrino of zero rest mass to
produce a pion of rest mass 140 MeV/c 2. For this reaction to occur with least total energy (sum of
muon and neutrino energies), find the values of the muon and neutrino energies. (b) If the initial
speed of muon is 0.6c, find the speed of the resultant pion? (c) For the case (b), find the neutrino
momentum before collision as seen in the muon frame?
[Ans.: (a) E = 110.13 MeV, E= 29.87 MeV (b) 0.75 c]
39. A high energy photon collides with a proton at rest. A neutral pi-meson ( o) is produced according to
the following reaction.
+ p p + o
What is the minimum energy, the photon must have for this reaction to occur? The rest mass energy
of the proton and o are 938 MeV and135 MeV respectively.

[Ans.: 145 MeV]