Assignment#3

PHY-101: Classical, Quantum and Relativistic Mechanics
Assignment#3
2024-25, Odd Semester
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU),
Varanasi - 221005, India
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.1] Three particles A, B and C are having velocities −1/4c x̂ , 1/4c x̂ and 1/2c x̂ respectively from a reference
frame. Answer the followings:
(a) Find the velocity of particles B and C in a reference frame where the particle A is at rest.
(b) Is there a reference frame where particles A and C has the same speed? What is the velocity of particle B in this
reference frame?
Q.2] Two proton approaches each other with speed of 1/2c. Find the total energy of the system.
Q.3] Consider two inertial reference frames A and B. The relative velocity of the reference frame B with respect to
the reference frame A is 𝑉⃗ = 𝑣 𝑥 , where 𝑣 > 0. Answer the followings based on these.
(a) A rod is kept at rest in the x-y plane of reference frame A such that it is at an angle 300 with the x-axis of the
frame. In the reference frame B, the orientation of the rod with respect to the respective x-axis is 600. Calculate 𝑣 .
(b) In the same set of two reference frames A and B now answer the followings. From (a) above, use the value of
𝑉⃗ . A massive particle has a mass m and energy E0 when it is at rest in the reference frame A.
(i) Express the energy E0 of the particle in terms of its mass.
(ii) What is the energy of the particle as measured from the reference frame B? Express it in terms of E0.
(iii) What is the momentum vector of the particle in the reference frame B?
Q.4] Consider the motion of a rocket in a vertical plane on earth and two reference frames S (earth) and S’ (a moving
observer) within it. Let S’ be moving with respect to S at a constant speed of c/4 along the horizontal (+x)-direction.
The speed of the rocket as noted by the moving observer is VS’ = c/2 at an angle of 30o with the x’-axis. What is the
magnitude of the velocity of the rocket, VS, as measured by an observer on the earth? Also find the inclination of the
rocket's trajectory as observed from the earth. (NOTE: Simplify all the values computed upto a maximum of 3 digits
after the decimal point wherever applicable, for example c/4 = 0.250c.)
Q.5] (a) The mean lifetime of -mesons, stopped in a lead block, in the laboratory is measured to be 2.3 X 10-6 s. The
mean lifetime of high speed -mesons in a burst of cosmic rays observed from the earth is measured to be 1.6 x 10-5
s. Find the speed of these cosmic ray -mesons with respect to the earth.
PHY-101: Classical, Quantum and Relativistic Mechanics
Assignment#3
2024-25, Odd Semester
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU),
Varanasi - 221005, India
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(b) What is the kinetic energy acquired by an electron at rest initially, upon traversing through a potential difference
of 105 volts? What is its speed and relativistic momentum at the end of the traversal?
----------------------------------------- End -----------------------------------------

Note: Some additional problems are given below for your own practice. The solutions to these problems
do not need to be submitted.
Q.6] (a) Let the frame S’ be moving at a velocity v = 0.9c along the x-axis w.r.t the reference frame S frame, where ‘c’
is the speed of light. At t = 0 the origin of these two frames were at the same space-time location. What are the
coordinates of the following events in S’ frame, if they are measured in S frame to be: (i) x = 4 m and t = 0 sec, (ii) x =
1.8x108 m and t = 1 sec.
(b) Two particles A and B appear to have same speed V but in opposite directions to each other in reference frame S.
In the reference frame R, B is at rest. What is the velocity of A in this reference frame?
Q.7] (a) Two inertial frames S and S’ are moving relative to each other along their x-axes and they both coincide at
time t=t’=0. Consider S-frame to be at rest, and S’-frame to be moving relative to S-frame at a speed of v = 0.5c,
where ‘c’ is the speed of light.
i. Are the following space-time coordinates (t, x, y, z), as noted by observers in either of these
reference frames, related by a relativistic transformation: P = (5ns, 2m, 4m, 1.5m) and P0 = (2.13ns,
1.85m, 4m, 1.5m)?
ii. Find the invariant space-time interval between two events P = (5ns, 2m, 4m, 1.5m) and Q = (8ns, 3m,
4m, 2m) in S-frame.
(b)
i. What is the expected relative fringe shift in a Michelson-Morley interferometer experiment with
armlengths of 11m? Assume that they used a light of wavelength 600 nm, and the earth's orbital
velocity is about 30 km/s which can be assumed to be our relative motion with respect to Ether's
rest frame.
ii. Based on cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements, it was found that our motion with
respect to ‘universal rest frame’ is about 369 km/s. With the same experimental setup as above,
what is the expected fringe shift now in the Michelson-Morley experiment?
Q. 8] (a) The life time of a π+-meson in its rest frame is 2.6 × 10−8s. What distance can the meson travel before
decaying if its speed is 2 × 108 m/s.
(b) The muon is an unstable particle that spontaneously decays into an electron and two neutrinos. If the number of
muons at t=0 is N0, the number N at time t is N = N0e−t/τ, where τ = 2.20 μsec is the mean lifetime of the muon.
Suppose the muons move at speed 0.95c. (i) What is the observed lifetime of the muons?
(ii) How many muons remain after traveling a distance of 3.0 km?

Assignment#3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Assignment#3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Assignment#3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PHY-101: Classical, Quantum and Relativistic Mechanics

(i) Express the energy E0 of the particle in terms of its mass.

----------------------------------------- End -----------------------------------------

You might also like