Acceleration and relativity question

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving the acceleration of a particle under a constant force, with a specific focus on the implications of relativity in this context.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the necessity of considering relativity in the problem, questioning whether the conditions warrant its application. Some suggest that the problem may not inherently require relativistic considerations unless specified.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants examining the relevance of relativity based on the problem's context. There is a recognition of differing interpretations regarding the need for relativistic analysis.

Contextual Notes

One participant notes that the problem is derived from a modern physics textbook, which may imply a context where relativity is relevant, though this is not explicitly stated in the problem itself.

asdf1
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In this question, "Find the acceleration of a particle of mass m and velocity v when it is acted upon by the constant force F, where F is parallel to v."
Why do you need to consider relativity?
 
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This question is kind of equivalent to "find Newton's second law" taking relativity under consideration.

hint: F = dp/dt
 
asdf1 said:
In this question, "Find the acceleration of a particle of mass m and velocity v when it is acted upon by the constant force F, where F is parallel to v."
Why do you need to consider relativity?

Who told you you needed to consider relativity? Relativity only comes into play when the speed is a large fraction of the speed of light. There doesn't appear to be anything in the problem you quoted to indicate that. Was there more to the problem? It might well be that the answer to the question "Why do you need to consider relativity?" is "Because the problem (or your teacher) said to!"
 
well, the problem was an example in a modern physics book I'm looking at,
but my first reaction was the same as quasar987~
 

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