MT121: Week 10 Questions

Special Relativity

Question 1 : Einstein stated that the laws of physics are

(a) different in different situations.
(b) common sense applied to microscopic and macroscopic things.
(c) the same in all frames of reference.
(d) the same in all uniformly moving frames of reference.
(e) I don’t know

Question 2 : Which of the following is the correct definition of the proper time?
(a) The proper time is the time measured between two events in a frame in which the
events happen at the same position.
(b) The proper time is the time measured between two events in an inertial frame in
which the events happen at the same position.
(c) If there exists an inertial frame K in which two events occur simultaneously, the
proper time is the time at which these events are observed to occur.
(d) If there exists an inertial frame K in which two events occur simultaneously, the
proper time is the time that it takes light to travel between the two positions at
which the events occur.
(e) I don’t know

n1
Question 3 : Let (n1 , n2 , n3 ) be a Pythagorean triple, n21 + n22 = n23 . If v = n3 c, what
is γ?
n1
(a) n2
n2
(b) n1
n3
(c) n2
n3
(d) √
n23 +n21

(e) I don’t know

Question 4 : On a spaceship, coffee is served 1 hour after lunch has started. An

observer on earth studying the habits of spaceship crews measures the time interval
between the start of lunch and coffee and finds that it is 1 day. Determine the speed
of the spaceship.
(a) c
(b) 24

575
(c) 576 c

(d) 0
575
(e) 576
(f) I don’t know

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 Question 5 : Imagine flying from Sydney to Los Angeles, which takes 11 hours at
300m/s. If 2 events are the plane leaving and the plane arriving, in which frame is the
proper time measured? (You may assume that the plane and Earth frames are inertial
with respect to each other.)
(a) The plane.
(b) The Earth.
(c) I don’t know

Question 6 : Imagine flying from Sydney to Los Angeles, which takes 11 hours at
300m/s. What is the difference between a clock on the plane and a clock on the ground
at the end of the journey (if they were synchronised at the start)? (We assume the
surface of the Earth is flat and not moving.)
(a) The plane clock is ahead by 20ns (1ns=10−9 s).
(b) The plane clock is ahead by 5ps (1ps=10−12 s).
(c) The clocks show the same time.
(d) The plane clock is behind by 20ns.
(e) I don’t know

Question 7 : Inside a rocket ship travelling at enormously high speeds, you would
notice your companions in the ship
(a) ageing differently.
(b) somewhat compressed.
(c) slightly more massive.
(d) None of these.
(e) I don’t know

Question 8 : When an observer at rest watches a high-speed spaceship, objects on the

ship appear
(a) shorter in the direction of travel.
(b) shrunken uniformly.
(c) shorter in the directions perpendicular to travel.
(d) longer in all directions.
(e) I don’t know

Question 9 : Two events happen at space-time coordinates

       
x1 2 x2 5
= lyr = lyr.
ct1 5 ct2 4

What is the interval between the two events?

(a) 10lyr2
(b) −10lyr2
√
(c) 10lyr
(d) 130lyr2

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(e) 8lyr2
(f) I don’t know

Question 10 : Two events happen at space-time coordinates

       
x1 2 x2 5
= lyr = lyr.
ct1 5 ct2 4
What is the proper length between the two events?
(a) 10lyr2
√
(b) 10lyr
√
(c) 130lyr
√
(d) 8lyr
(e) The events are time-like separated, and the concept of proper length doesn’t make
sense.
(f) I don’t know

Question 11 : Two events happen at space-time coordinates

       
x1 2 x2 5
= lyr = lyr.
ct1 5 ct2 4
What is the causal ordering of the two events?
(a) Event 1 happens before event 2.
(b) Event 2 happens before event 1.
(c) The 2 events happen simultaneously.
(d) There is no causal ordering.
(e) I don’t know

Question 12 : Two events take place 90m and 0.6μs (that’s ×10−6 s) apart in frame
K. What is the speed of the frame K  which measures the proper time between the
two events?
(a) 0
(b) c/4
(c) c/2
(d) 9c/10
(e) c
(f) I don’t know

Question 13 : A person on Earth sees two spaceships heading towards each other.
The earthling measures the speed of ship A at 3c/5 and that of ship B at 4c/5. In the
reference frame of ship A, how fast is ship B moving?
(a) 5c/13
(b) 4c/5
(c) 35c/37
(d) c
(e) 7c/5
(f) 5c/37
(g) I don’t know

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