Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 36: Q. 2 (page 1058)

Teenagers Sam and Tom are playing chicken in their rockets. As FIGURE Q36.2 shows, an experimenter on earth sees that each is traveling at 0.95cas he approaches the other. Sam fires a laser beam toward Tom.

a. What is the speed of the laser beam relative to Sam?

b. What is the speed of the laser beam relative to Tom?

Short Answer

Expert verified

a. Speed of light c

b. Speed of light c

Step by step solution

01

Part (a) Step 1: Given information

We have given,

Speed of rockets =0.95c

We have to find the speed of laser with respect to Sam.

02

Simplify

Since the speed of light will always be constant in inertial frame.

So, the laser speed for Sam will be same as speed of light.

03

Part (b) Step 1: Given information

We have given,

the speed of rockets =0.95c

We have to find the speed of laser light with respect to Tom.

04

Simplify

Since the speed of light will always be constant in inertial frame.

So, the laser speed for Tom will be same as speed of light

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A ball of mass m traveling at a speed of 0.80c has a perfectly inelastic collision with an identical ball at rest. If Newtonian physics were correct for these speeds, momentum conservation would tell us that a ball of mass 2m departs the collision with a speed of 0.40c. Let’s do a relativistic collision analysis to determine the mass and speed of the ball after the collision.

a. What isγp, written as a fraction like a/b?

b. What is the initial total momentum? Give your answer as a fraction times mc.

c. What is the initial total energy? Give your answer as a fraction timesmc2. Don’t forget that there are two balls.

d. Because energy can be transformed into mass, and vice versa, you cannot assume that the final mass is2m. Instead, let the final state of the system be an unknown mass M traveling at an unknown speed uf. You have two conservation laws. Find M and uf.

What is the speed, as a fraction of c, of a particle whose momentum is mc?

a. At what speed, as a fraction of c,must a rocket travel on a journey to and from a distant star so that the astronauts age 10years while the Mission Control workers on earth age 120years?

b. As measured by Mission Control, how far away is the distant star?

A rocket cruising past earth at 0.80cshoots a bullet out the back door, opposite the rocket’s motion, at 0.90c relative to the rocket. What is the bullet’s speed, as a fraction of c, relative to the earth?

Your friend flies from Los Angeles to New York. She carries an accurate stopwatch with her to measure the flight time. You and your assistants on the ground also measure the flight time.

a. Identify the two events associated with this measurement.

b. Who, if anyone, measures the proper time?

c. Who, if anyone, measures the shorter flight time?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

Read Explanation

Translational Dynamics

Read Explanation

Force

Read Explanation

Fields in Physics

Read Explanation

Physical Quantities And Units

Read Explanation

Mechanics and Materials

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free