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Chapter 36: Q. 56 (page 1061)

A rocket fires a projectile at a speed of 0.95cwhile traveling past the earth. Does an earthbound scientist measure the projectile’s speed to be 0.90cWhat was the rocket’s speed as a fraction of c?

Short Answer

Expert verified

As a fraction of c, the speed of a rocket is 0.345c(since a negative sign indicates that the projectile and rockets are moving in the opposite direction.)

Step by step solution

01

Given Information 

We need to find the rocket’s speed as a fraction of c.

02

Simplify

Consider the velocity of the rocket is v. The projectile was thrown from the rocket, then the velocity will add up, and the velocity will be measured by the scientist from earth using the velocity addition formula

vr=u+v1+uvc2⇒0.9c=u+0.95c1+0.95c×vc2⇒v=-0.345c

Hence, the speed of the rocket will be 0.345c(since a negative sign indicates that the projectile and rockets are moving in opposite direction.)

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