Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity
A Stanford University Online Course

Larry Randles Lagerstrom, Instructor
Week 2 Problem Set

Instructions: Work out the answers to the following five problems on paper. Instructions on how to
submit your answers will be posted as an announcement on the course site (by Tuesday, April 16, at
noon Pacific time). The deadline for submitting your answers is Wednesday, April 24 at 11:59 pm Pacific
time (GMT -0700). Each answer is worth one point (so the number of points for each question varies, as
indicated below). If you choose to take the quantitative approach to the course, your score on this
problem set will count toward your overall course score (though your lowest problem set score will be
dropped). Assume that all persons involved (Alice and Bob) agree on the same direction for "to the
right" and "to the left," with "to the right" meaning in the positive x direction and "to the left" meaning
in the negative x direction, and that their clocks are synchronized and agree at time t = 0.
Problem 1 (1 point). If a spaceship were able to have infinite velocity along the x axis, what would its
world line look like on a spacetime diagram? (Tip: It essentially would be everywhere at the same time.)
Problem 2 (5 points). Consider Bob in a vehicle moving to the right (positive x direction) at a speed of
100 km/hour with respect to Alice, who is observing Bob go by. Bob passes Alice at time t = 0, and at
that instant he observes a flash of light that occurs at a distance xB = 25 kilometers ahead of him (in his
direction of travel). (Remember what to observe means: the event is recorded via one of the clocks in
a lattice of synchronized clocks in the observers frame of reference.)
(a) Where does this event occur in Alices frame of reference?
Bob continues to travel at 100 km/hour for 30 minutes, at which point he observes another flash of light
at a distance of 25 km ahead of him.
(b) Where does this event occur in Alices frame of reference?
(c) According to Alice, what is the distance between the locations of the two flashes of light?
(d) What is the distance between the locations of the two flashes of light according to Bob?
(e) When the second flash occurs, what is the location of Alice in Bobs frame of reference?
Problem 3 (5 points). Same as Problem #2, but this time at t = 0 Bob observes a flash of light 25 km
behind him (that is, at xB = 25 km in his frame of reference).
Bob continues to travel at 100 km/hour (in the positive x direction, according to Alice) for 30 minutes, at
which point he observes another flash of light at a distance 25 km behind him.
Problem 4 (5 points). Consider Bob in a vehicle moving to the left (negative x direction) at a speed of
100 km/hour with respect to Alice, who is observing Bob go by. Bob passes Alice at time t = 0, and at
that instant he observes a flash of light that occurs at a distance 25 kilometers ahead of him (in his
direction of travel).
Bob continues to travel at 100 km/hour for 30 minutes, at which point he observes another flash of light
at a distance of 25 km ahead of him.
Problem 5 (8 points). Alice creates a machine that can shoot basketballs in a horizontal direction. Using
a radar gun, Alice measures the speed of the basketball coming from the machine and finds that it is 40
km/hour. Alice then creates a special basketball that has a mechanism inside, such that, when the
basketball is in flight, it can open up and shoot a tennis ball horizontally ahead of it. With the special
basketball stationary on her lab bench, Alice measures the speed of the tennis ball and finds that it is 35
km/hour. Alice then puts the machine, loaded with the special basketball, on top of a car, which she
drives at 50 km/hour past Bob. Assuming that she shoots the basketball in the direction she is traveling,
and then while in flight the basketball shoots the tennis ball ahead, answer the following questions.
(Neglect any effects of air resistance or other sources of friction, and neglect any effect that shooting
the tennis ball would have on the velocity of the special basketball. In other words, the basketball
maintains a constant horizontal velocity in flight.)
Tip: Its often helpful to make a diagram or sketch of whats going on.
(a) What is the speed of the basketball with respect to Bob?
(b) What is the speed of the basketball with respect to Alice?
(c) What is the speed of the tennis ball with respect to Bob?
(d) What is the speed of the tennis ball with respect to Alice?
For a second run, Alice again drives past Bob at 50 km/hour. But this time she shoots the special
basketball in the opposite direction to which she is traveling (that is, behind her). The basketball again
shoots out the tennis ball while in flight (with the tennis ball also heading in the opposite direction as
Alice is going). As before, answer the following questions:
(e) What is the speed of the basketball with respect to Bob?
(f) What is the speed of the basketball with respect to Alice?
(g) What is the speed of the tennis ball with respect to Bob?
(h) What is the speed of the tennis ball with respect to Alice?

Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

A Stanford University Online Course

Week 2 Problem Set

You might also like