‘chopter 5 |Renvay CONCEPTUAL QUESTIONS 5.1 Invariance of Physical Laws 1. Which of Einstein's postulates of special relativity Includes a concept that docs not fit with the ideas of classical physics? Explain, 2, Is Earth an inertial frame of reference? Is the sun? Justify your respanse. 3, When you are flying in a commercial jet, it may oppear to you that the airplane is stationary ané Earth Is maving berieath you. Is this paint of view velid? Discuss briefly. 5.3 Time Dilation 4. (a) Does motion affect the rate of a clock as measured by an observer moving with it? (b) Does motion affect how an observer moving relative io a clock measures its rate? ‘To whom does the elapsed! time for a process seem to be Longer, an observer moving relative co the process or an observer moving with the process? Which observer measures the interval af proper time? (2) How could you wavel far Into the future of Earth ‘Out aging significantly? (b} Could this method also allow you to travel into the past? 5.4Length Contraction 7. To wham does an object seem greater in length, an observer moving with the object or an observer maving relative 10 the object? Which observer measures the ‘object's proper length? 8. Relativistic effects such as time dilation and length ‘contraction are present for cars and airplanes, Why do these effects seem strange to us? 9. Suppose an astronaut is moving relative to Earth at 4 significant fraction of the speed of light. (a) Does he observe the rate of his docks to have slowed? (b) What change in the rate of earthbourd clocks doas he seo? (c) Does his ship seem to him to shorten? (a) What about the distance between two stars that lie in the direction of his mation? (e) De he and an earthbound abserver agree on his velocity relativeto Earth? 5.7 Doppler Effect for Light 10. Explain the meaning of the terms “red shift” and“blue shift" as they relate tothe relativistic Dappler effect. = 11. What happens to the relativisttc Doppler effect when relative velocity is zero? Is this the expected result? 12, Is the relativistic Doppler effect consistent with the dassical Doppler effect in the respectthat 2p, is langer for mation away? 13, All gales farther away than about 50% 10° ly exhibit a red shift In thelr emitted light that fs proportional ww distance, wiih those farther and fanher away having progressively greater red shifts, What does this imply, xsuming that tho only source of red shift ic relative mouon? 5.8 Relativistic Momentum 14, How does modem relativity modify the law of conservation ef momentum? 15. bit possihle for an extemal force to be acting on a system and relaivistic momentum to be conserved? Explain. 5.9 Relativistic Energy 16. How are the classical laws of conservation of energy ann conservation of mass modified by modern relativity? 17, What happens to the mass of water In a pot when tt cools, assuming no molecules escape or are aulded? 1s this observable in practice? Explain, 18, Consider 3 thought experiment. You place an expanded ballon of air on welghing scales outside tn the carly morning. Tae balloon stays on the scales and you are able to measure changes in its mass. Does the mass Of the balloon change as ihe day progresses? Discuss the Afficulties in carrying out this experiment. 19. ‘The mass of the fuel in a nuclear reactor decreases by an observable amount 8 it puts out energy. 1s the same true for the coal and oxygen combined in a conventional power plant? If so, is this observable in practice for the coal and oxygen? Explain 20. We know that the velocity of an abject with mass hes an upper limit of c. Is there an upper limit on its momentum? lis energy? Explain. 21. Given the fact that light travels atc , ca Explain. have mass?CONCEPTUAL QUESTIONS 1, the second postulate, involving the speed of light; classical physics already included the idea that the laws of mechanics, at least, were the same in all inertial frames, but the velocity of a light pulse was different in different frames moving with respect to each other 3. yes, provided the plane is flying at constant velocity relative to the Earth; in that case, an object with no force acting on it within the plane has no change in velocity relative to the plane and no change in velocity relative to the Earth; both the plane and the ground are inertial frances for describing the motion of the object 5. The observer moving with the process sees its interval of proper time, which is the shortest seen by any observer. 7. The length of an object is greatest to an observer who is moving with the object, and therefore measures its proper length. 9. a. No, not within the astronaut’s ows frame of reference. b. He sees Earth clocks to be in their rest frame moving by him, and therefore sees them slowed. c. No, not within the astronaut’s own frame of reference. d. Yes, he measures the distance between the two stars to be shorter. e. The two observers agree on their relative speed. 11. There is no measured change in wavelength ot frequency in this case. The relativistic Doppler effect depends only on the relative velocity of the source and the observer, not any speed relative to a medium for the light waves. 13. It shows that the stars are getting more distant from Earth, that the universe is expanding, and doing so at an accelerating rate, with greater velocity for more distant stars.] 15. Yes. This can happen if the external force is balanced by other externally applied forces, so that the net extermal force is zero. 17. Because it loses thermal energy, which is the kinetic energy of the random motion of its constituent particles, its mass decreases by an extremely small amount, as described by energy-mass equivalence. 19. Yes, in principle there would be a similar effect on mass for any decrease in energy, but the change would be so small for the energy changes in a chemical reaction that it would be undetectable in practice. 21. Not according to special relativay. Nothing with mass can attain the speed of light.