28.6 Relativistic Energy Figure 28.20 The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has a fusion reactor in which hydrogen isotopes undergo fusion to produce helium. In this process, a relatively small mass of fuel is converted into a large amount of energy. (credit: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory)

28.6 Relativistic Energy Figure 28.20 The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has a fusion reactor in which hydrogen isotopes undergo fusion to produce helium. In this process, a relatively small mass of fuel is converted into a large amount of energy. (credit: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory)

College Physics

1st Edition

ISBN:9781938168000

Author:Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs

Publisher:Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs

Chapter28: Special Relativity

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 66PE: Suppose you use an average of 500kWh of electric energy per month in your home. (a) How long would...

See similar textbooks

Similar questions

You are driving on a freeway at a relativistic speed. (i) Straight ahead of you, a technician standing on the ground turns on a searchlight and a beam of light moves exactly vertically upward as seen by the technician. As you observe the beam of light, do you measure the magnitude of the vertical component of its velocity as (a) equal to c, (b) greater than c, or (c) less than c? (ii) If the technician aims the searchlight directly at you instead of upward, do you measure the magnitude of the horizontal component of its velocity as (a) equal to c, (b) greater than c, or (c) less than c?
How does modern relativity modify the law of conservation of momentum?
Suppose the observer O on the train in Figure 38.6 aims her flashlight at the far wall of the boxcar and turns it on and off, sending a pulse of light toward the far wall. Both O and O measure the time interval between when the pulse leaves the flashlight and when it hits the far wall. Which observer measures the proper time interval between these two events? (a) O (b) O (c) both observers (d) neither observer Figure 38.6 (a) A mirror is fixed to a moving vehicle, and a light pulse is sent out by observer O at rest in the vehicle. (b) Relative to a stationary observer O standing alongside the vehicle, the mirror and O move with a speed v and the light pulse follows a diagonal path. (c) The right triangle for calculating the relationship between t and tp.
We know that the velocity of an object with mass has an upper limit of C. Is there an upper limit on its momentum? Its energy? Explain.
The following pairs of energiesparticle 1: E, 2E; particle 2: E, 3E; particle 3: 2E, 4Erepresent the rest energy and total energy of three different particles. Rank the particles from greatest to least according to their (a) mass, (b) kinetic energy, and (c) speed.
You are observing a spacecraft moving away from you. You measure it to be shorter than when it was at rest on the ground next to you. You also see a clock through the spacecraft window, and you observe that the passage of time on the clock is measured to be slower than that of the watch on your wrist. Compared with when the spacecraft was on the ground, what do you measure if the spacecraft turns around and comes toward you at the same speed? (a) The spacecraft is measured to be longer, and the clock runs faster. (b) The spacecraft is measured to be longer, and the clock runs slower. (c) The spacecraft is measured to be shorter, and the clock runs faster. (d) The spacecraft is measured to be shorter, and the clock runs slower.
A pulsar is a stellar object that emits light in short bursts. Suppose a pulsar with a speed of 0.950c approaches Earth, and a rocket with a speed of 0.995c heads toward the pulsar. (Both speeds are measured in Earth's frame of reference.) If the pulsar emits 10.0 pulses per second in its own frame of reference, at what rate are the pulses emitted in the rockets frame of reference?
If astronauts could travel at v = 0.950c, we on Earth would say it takes (4.20/0.950) = 4.42 years to reach Alpha Centauri, 4.20 light-years away. The astronauts disagree. (a) How much time passes on the astronauts clocks? (b) What is the distance to Alpha Centauri as measured by the astronauts?
A spacecraft built in the shape of a sphere moves past an observer on the Earth with a speed of 0.500c. What shape does the observer measure for the spacecraft as it goes by? (a) a sphere (b) a cigar shape, elongated along the direction of motion (c) a round pillow shape, flattened along the direction of motion (d) a conical shape, pointing in the direction of motion
. In a particular beam of protons, each particle moves with an average speed of 0.8c. Determine the total relativistic energy of each proton in joules and MeVs.
An astronaut is traveling in a space vehicle that has a speed of 0.500c relative to Earth. The astronaut measures his pulse rate at 75.0 beats per minute. Signals generated by the astronauts pulse are radioed to Earth when the vehicle is moving perpendicular to a line that connects the vehicle with an Earth observer. (a) What pulse rate does the Earth observer measure? (b) What would be the pulse rate if the speed of the space vehicle were increased to 0.990c?