Chapter 37: Q. 11 (page 1081)

Event A occurs at space-time coordinates (300m, 2μs). a. Event B occurs at space-time coordinates(1200m, 6μs). Could A possibly be the cause of B? Explain. b. Event C occurs at space-time coordinates(2400 m, 8μs). Could A possibly be the cause of C? Explain

Expert verified

Event A is the cause of event B; But A isn't the cause of event C

Step by step solution

The space time coordinates of Event A and B are given as (300m, 2μs) and(1200m, 6μs) respectively.

$∆ x$ is the difference between the position, and $∆ t$ is the difference between time coordinates.

$Δ x = 900 m; Δ t = 4 μ s$

We can conclude:

$v = \frac{Δ x}{Δ t} = \frac{900 m}{4 μ s} = 225 m / μ s < c$

which is less than the 300 m of event A.

Therefore Event A is the cause of Event B.

The spacetime coordinates of Event C are given as(2400 m, 8μs).

As:

$Δ x = 2100 m; Δ t = 6 μ s$

and

$ν = \frac{Δ x}{Δ t} = \frac{2100 m}{6 μ s} = 350 m / μ s < c$

which is greater than 300 m of Event A,

Therefore, Event A couldn't have been the cause of C.

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

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

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.