College Physics (10th Edition)
College Physics (10th Edition)
10th Edition
ISBN: 9780321902788
Author: Hugh D. Young, Philip W. Adams, Raymond Joseph Chastain
Publisher: PEARSON
bartleby

Videos

Textbook Question
Book Icon
Chapter 27, Problem 40GP

Why are we bombarded by muons? Muons are unstable subatomic particles (more on them in Chapter 30) with a mean lifetime of 2.2μs that decay to electrons They are produced when cosmic rays bombard the upper atmosphere about 10 km above the earth’s surface, and they travel very close to the speed of light. The problem we want to address is why we see any of them at the earth’s surface (a) What is the greatest distance a muon could travel during its 2.2 μs lifetime? (b) According to your answer in part (a), it would seem that muons could never make it to the ground. But the 2.μs lifetime is measured in the frame of the muon, and they are moving very fast. At a speed of 0.999c. what is the mean lifetime of a muon as measured by an observer at rest on the earth? How far could the muon travel in this time? Does this result explain why we find muons in cosmic rays? (c) From the point of view of the muon, it still lives for only 2.2 μs, so how does it make it to the ground? What is the thickness of the 10 km of atmosphere through which the muon must travel, as measured by the muon? Is it now clear how the muon is able to reach the ground?

Blurred answer

Chapter 27 Solutions

College Physics (10th Edition)

Ch. 27 - People sometimes interpret the theory of...Ch. 27 - Prob. 12CQCh. 27 - A rocket flies toward the earth at 12c, and the...Ch. 27 - A rocket is travelling at 13C relative to earth...Ch. 27 - A spaceship flies past a planet at a speed of...Ch. 27 - A square measuring 1 m by 1 m is moving away from...Ch. 27 - To an observer moving along with the square in the...Ch. 27 - To the observer moving along with the square in...Ch. 27 - A high-speed train passes a train platform....Ch. 27 - If it requires energy U to accelerate a rocket...Ch. 27 - A rocket is traveling toward the earth at 12c when...Ch. 27 - For the missile in the preceding problem, the...Ch. 27 - Prob. 11MCPCh. 27 - A rocket ship is moving toward earth at 23c. The...Ch. 27 - A spaceship is traveling toward earth from the...Ch. 27 - A rocket is moving to the right at half the speed...Ch. 27 - A futuristic spaceship flies past Pluto with a...Ch. 27 - Inside a spaceship flying past the earth at...Ch. 27 - Prob. 5PCh. 27 - The negative pion is an unstable particle with an...Ch. 27 - An alien spacecraft is flying overhead at a great...Ch. 27 - How fast must a rocket travel relative to the...Ch. 27 - A spacecraft flies away from the earth with a...Ch. 27 - You measure the length of a futuristic car to be...Ch. 27 - Prob. 11PCh. 27 - A spacecraft is moving at a speed of 0.800c...Ch. 27 - A rocket ship flies past the earth at 85.0% of the...Ch. 27 - || A spaceship makes the long trip from earth to...Ch. 27 - || A muon is created 55.0 km above the surface of...Ch. 27 - An enemy spaceship is moving toward your...Ch. 27 - || An enemy spaceship, which is moving at high...Ch. 27 - | Two particles in a high-energy accelerator...Ch. 27 - | A pursuit spacecraft from the planet Zirkon is...Ch. 27 - | Two panicles are created in a high-energy...Ch. 27 - Prob. 21PCh. 27 - Prob. 22PCh. 27 - A particle of mass m is moving at a speed v. (a)...Ch. 27 - Relativistic baseball. Calculate the magnitude of...Ch. 27 - Sketch a graph of (a) the nonrelativistic...Ch. 27 - An electron is acted upon by a force of 5.00 1015...Ch. 27 - Using both the nonrelativistic and relativistic...Ch. 27 - A particle is moving with a speed of 0.80c....Ch. 27 - Prob. 29PCh. 27 - Gasoline contains about 1.2 108 J of usable...Ch. 27 - A proton (rest mass 1.67 1027 kg) has total...Ch. 27 - In a hypothetical nuclear-fusion reactor, two...Ch. 27 - An antimatter reactor. When a particle meets its...Ch. 27 - A particle has a rest mass of 6 64 1027 kg and a...Ch. 27 - Prob. 35PCh. 27 - Sketch a graph of (a) the nonrelativistic...Ch. 27 - The starships of the Solar Federation are marked...Ch. 27 - A space probe is sent to the vicinity of the star...Ch. 27 - Two events are observed in a frame of reference S...Ch. 27 - Why are we bombarded by muons? Muons are unstable...Ch. 27 - A cube of metal with sides of length a sits at...Ch. 27 - In an experiment, two protons are shot directly...Ch. 27 - A 0.100 g speck of dust is accelerated from rest...Ch. 27 - By what minimum amount does the mass of 4.00 kg of...Ch. 27 - In certain radioactive beta decay processes (more...Ch. 27 - A 45 inclined plane is at rest in a physics...Ch. 27 - Prob. 47GPCh. 27 - A nuclear device containing 8.00 kg of plutonium...Ch. 27 - Electrons are accelerated through a potential...Ch. 27 - A nuclear physicist measures the momentum and...Ch. 27 - Prob. 51GPCh. 27 - Prob. 52GPCh. 27 - Speed of light. Our universe has properties that...Ch. 27 - Speed of light. Our universe has properties that...Ch. 27 - Speed of light. Our universe has properties that...Ch. 27 - Speed of light. Our universe has properties that...
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Physics
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
College Physics
Physics
ISBN:9781285737027
Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris Vuille
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
Physics
ISBN:9781337553278
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern ...
Physics
ISBN:9781337553292
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Technology ...
Physics
ISBN:9781305116399
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
Physics
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Modern Physics
Physics
ISBN:9781111794378
Author:Raymond A. Serway, Clement J. Moses, Curt A. Moyer
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Time Dilation - Einstein's Theory Of Relativity Explained!; Author: Science ABC;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuD34tEpRFw;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY