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PHYS2055 - Introduction To Relativity

Assignment 1
Due date: 5:00pm, Feburary 23, 2017
Please submit to the assignment box in first floor of CYMP Buld.
Give answers and explanations for the following questions.
1. (10 marks) What is the value of the gravitational acceleration on the
Earth surface? With this acceleration, how long does it take to attain
speed of light, according to Newtonian mechanics?
2. (10 marks) What are the general Galilean transformations between two
arbitrary inertial frames in two dimensional space-time, (i.e. consider
only (x, t) and (x0 , t0 ))? Clearly define your notations.
3. (20 marks) Assume that Newtonian concept of space and time was
correct. A train is traveling with speed 53m/s directly away from an
observer, Alice.
(a) At time t = 0, the train is already 108m away from her. What is
the distance of the train from her when t = 15.2s?
(b) Her watch, in fact, runs slower than an perfect clock by 20%, al-
though she has set her watch with the perfect clock at t = 0. What is
the distance of the train when her watch reads t0 = 15.2s?
(c) What is the speed of the train according to her?
(d) Another observer, Bob, is on the train. His watch, unfortunately,
synchronizes with Alice’s. Bob agrees to drop down from the train one
apple each second. What is the distance between apples?
4. (10 marks) Sound is a mechanical wave in the air. Light on the other
hand requires no material medium.
(a) How does the velocity of sound relative to an observer in atmosphere
depend on the velocity of sound relative to the air v0 , the velocity of the
sound source relative to the air vsource and the velocity of the observer
relative to the atmosphere vobs ?
(b) How does the speed of light relative to an observer in vacuum
depend upon the velocity of light in a vacuum, the velocity of the light
source, and the velocity of the observer?
5. (20 marks) Some student said, “If I am moving in high speed, due to
time dilation, I will have much more time than two hours to finish the
examination.” Is he correct? Why or why not?
6. (10 marks) A rectangle is moving along its diagonal. How does its area
A vary with speed v?

7. (20 marks) If a rectangle of size 1m× 3m is moving along its diagonal,
in what speed that it will appear as a square, if possible?

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