Relativistic Definition and 1000 Threads

I've run into a scenario in a sci-fi rpg that I'm running and I haven't been able to come up with a satisfactory answer on my own. Assuming a ship traveling at .9999c, would it be possible for another ship traveling from the same origin to the same destination, but launched later, to arrive...

Homework Statement Consider a spaceship that accelerates so that the passengers feel and acceleration equal to that of gravity of the earth’s surface, g. If the spaceship undergoes this acceleration for a time T, show that the final velocity is given by: V=c[1+(c/gT)^2]^(-1/2) Homework...

Here is something I thought about the other day that could use some clarification... say a spaceship starts its voyage towards the Earth at 0.5c at a distance of 1 light year away from the earth. All measurements are made from an observer on earth. An observer on Earth only notices the ship...

In the middle of studying for my matrix mechanics/atomic orbial/diatomic bonding final and something has been itching at my buttcrack for a while. Above Z=20 or so the lower orbitals (that don't actually exist so I've come to find out) have to be calculated with relativistic QM because the...

Homework Statement Two particle P and Q each of restmass m0 and moving in collision course at 2/3c in the laboratory frame of reference. In the same collision but in particle P's frame of reference, P is at rest. Homework Equations As the total energy of the particles depends on the frame...

In non-relativistic wave mechanics, the momentum-position uncertainty relationship and the energy-time relationship exist because these variables are related via the Fourier Transform of the wave function. Is there a relativistic (QFT) equivalent or analog of the above px and Et uncertainty...

I apologize if this is a repost, my original post didn't seem to take. If you accelerate a particle to 99% the speed of light and accelerate another particle to 99% the speed of light directly into the path of the first would this not create the observed effect from either particle that the...

Now then, this is a past paper question for only 3 marks but its annoying me. 2 identical spheres undergoing an elastic relativistic collision. The spheres move with a speed such that their CM frame kinetic energy is equal to their rest energy. Calculate the speed the spheres in the CM...

what is "relativistic mass" and "rest mass".. as far as i know the rest mass is the mass which measured by an observer who is at rest relative to the object (please correct me if this is not right), if this is right... what if when the object is traveling at the exactly same velocity of the...

Are Einstein's energy equations for relativistic speeds linear? For example, if you had something going at relativistic speed and then slowed it, but still had it at relativistic speed, would the decrease in energy be directly proportional to the amount you slowed the thing down? Thanks, Jake

Looking on the internet, it seems to very difficult to find a simple straightforward statement of the equations for relativistic centripetal force. This is my point of view and hopefully with some feedback we can come to a consensus. Consider a test mass moving in a circle with radius r. The...

I need a formula that yields the speed and angle after a 2D collision that uses the coefficient of restitution (e). Preferably this would also be relativistic. I have searched EVERYWHERE for this and could not find it. To "prove" that I have indeed tried I have read the collision sections of...

Homework Statement A certain star is 76.6 light-years away. How many years would it take a spacecraft traveling 0.946c to reach that star from Earth, as measured by observers on Earth? How many years would it take to reach that star from Earth, as measured by observers on the spacecraft ...

Is it possible?? I am not familiar with the idea due to not having studied anything about it yet, but I am curious I mean it is theorized that you need unfathomably large amounts of energy (some sources say infinite amounts of energy) and gravity is, in a sense, an unlimited amount of...

likewise energy & momentum of an object is considered in relativistic approach, does force also? since rate of change in momentum is known as FORCE, why not we study force in relativistic approach?

I am trying to understand a section in a textbook I have regarding Special Relativity, specifically deriving an expression for what is known as "relativistic mass", in order to find an expression for "relativistic momentum". I have attached the pages in the book which are giving me trouble, more...

Homework Statement Faraway Point starbase launches a probe toward the starships approaching from the same direction. The probe has a velocity relative to the Picard of -0.895c. The Picard approaches starbase Faraway Point with a speed of 0.795c, and the La Forge approaches the starbase with a...

Could someone please either derive or point me towards a derivation of the Lorentz invariance of action? Thanks.

The ‘speed’ of gravity, like everything else, is also limited to the speed of light. So if two bodies [with mass] are traveling in the same direction with one trailing directly behind the other by some distance and both bodies are traveling at .999 C how does the gravity work between them? For...

according to mass-energy equivalent theorem, Regardless of whether the object is at rest or moving, the object of mass m having energy E=mc2. suppose a ball of mass m is placed on ground, then how much energy this ball have? Is it equal to E=mc2 ?? now if we place this ball above the...

Wikipedia says that the core temperature of our Sun is 15.7×10^6 Kelvins. I don't know what that means in terms of protons' velocities inside the core, but I bet they move pretty fast. Could they move that fast that they have a noticeable increase in mass due to their relativistic speed...

Hello. I have read many of the posts on this forum concerning relativistic accelerations, constant accelerations to exceed the speed of light, etc. and one thing is still bothering me about the concept: why can one not accelerate constantly to achieve any arbitrary velocity as calculated in...

The following is a paper I wrote mainly to collect my thoughts and document some research I did about interstellar space flight. The main ideas for this paper grew out of the things I always hear people talk about (blueshifted radiation) but I never see the math behind it, so I developed a few...

How would you go about solving a problem involving a lens moving at relativistic speeds, or an object being relativistic being viewed through a lens? instead of coming up with a specific problem, does anyone know what happens to lens' focal length and such as its velocity becomes large? not so...

Homework Statement This is just a short response problem on my homework. It asks: "If a particle is moving at a relativistic velocity, is the following equation still valid? |q|vB = mv2/r If the particle is an electron, what is the value of the mass?" (electron mass = 9.1094x10-31)...

Relativistic length expansion in general accelerated system revisited Authors: J.Foukzon, S.A.Podosenov, A.A.Potapov (Submitted on 13 Oct 2009) http://arxiv.org/abs/0910.2298 Abstract: The aim of the present article is to give an exact and correct representation of the essentially...

If a spaceship is moving at a relativistic speed past the earth, the people on Earth would believe that the time in the spaceship was moving slower. The people on the spaceship would believe the time on the Earth was moving slower. So what happens when the spaceship stops? Do both times revert...

Homework Statement A meson (elementary particle) decays into two photons, each of energy 150MeV in its rest frame. Find the mesonic kinetic energy in the case of a symmetric decay in flight with an angle of 60degrees between the photon momenta (30 degrees for each particle on each side of the...

Just wondering here, how much energy (in Joules or Mtons) would an asteroid say 15 km wide have if it impacted the moon at 99.9% the speed of light? btw, I'm trying to figure this calculation out in terms of SR where the mass of the asteroid would appear much greater than if it was traveling...

Is a phenomenon which is periodic in a frame A of reference also periodic in another frame B moving at a constant speed v with respect to A ? I think general relativity will answer this in the negative. How about special relativity? Consider a world line in A with...

I'm interested in the following action for a relativistic point particle of mass m: S = \int d\tau (e^{-1}\dot{x}^2 - em^2) where e = e(\tau) is an einbein along the particle's world-line. If we reparametrize the world-line according to \tau \to \overline{\tau}(\tau) = \tau + \xi(\tau)...

Homework Statement Unstable, subatomic particles called muons have a rest energy of 105.7 MeV and a speed of 0.994c. If a muon were to decay and produce an electron and a photon, what would be the momentum of the electron as measured by an observer in the muon's frame? HINT: assume that the...

Homework Statement Suppose rocket traveler Amelia has a clock made on Earth. She flies to and back from a planet 12 light-years away (as measured from rest with respect to Earth) from Earth at a speed of 0.6c. Every year she sends a signal to Earth. How many signals does Earth receive by...

Homework Statement A stick of proper length L moves at a speed v in the direction of its length. It passes over a thin sheet with a hole of diameter L cut into it. As the stick passes over the sheet is raised and the stick moves through the hole so that it is underneath the sheet. Is this...

Homework Statement a) We have an incident photon beam into a fog chamber, and we observe a compton electron with a moment of 1,5 Mev/c emitted in a 10º angle to the incident beam. ¿Which is the energy of the incident and scattered photons? b) Find the minimum energy that should have the...

Dear users, I wonder if there is anybody who can give me a hint on how to handle the following situation: In the 2+1 dimensional Klein-Gordon equation with coordinates (t,x,y), I use as initial condition for \Psi(x,0) a spherically symmetric Gaussian. The relativistic dispersion relation...

Homework Statement "A photon of energy E collides with an electron at rest. Calculate the maximum amount of Energy Ek that may be transferred to the electron. Make a graph of Ek versus E, labeling the scale in electronvolts. Homework Equations Transfer = Ek = E - mc^2*E/(mc^2 + 2E)...

Let's say i am in a car traveling at 0.5c relative to a truck- which is at rest relative to the ground- approaching me from the opposite direction. Relative to me, the truck is going at 0.5c. Both, truck and car, frames of references are inertial frames of reference. Therefore, the principle of...

I have a relatively simple problem that I'm having trouble with. A ship is going at 0.90 c, over a distance of 80 light years. In my text the method for determining the time spent traveling is: 80 years + (0.1 * 80) = 88 years This method seems logical, at 0.9 of the speed of light this...

"high school" algebra -> relativistic conservation of momentum and energy Homework Statement Consider a head-on, elastic collision between a massless photon (momentum po and energy Eo) and a stationary free electron. (a) Assuming that the photon bounces directly back with momentum p (in the...

[b]1. A lambda particle decays into a proton and pion and it is observed that the proton is left at rest. a. what is the energy of the pion? b. what is the energy of the original lambda? m of lambda = 1116MeV/c^2, m of proton = 938 MeV/c^2, and m of pion = 140 MeV/c^2 Homework...

Homework Statement Nevermind, got it. Two spaceships approach the Earth from opposite directions. According to an observer on the Earth, ship A is moving at a speed of 0.753c and ship B at a speed of 0.851c. What is the speed of ship A as observed from ship B? Of ship B as observed from ship...

Homework Statement A stationary particle of rest mass 2m_{0} is hit by a particle of rest mass m_{0} and kinetic energy 2m_{0} c^{2}. I must find the rest mass of the composite particle afterward.Homework Equations Conservation of momentum and energy. The Attempt at a Solution I worked...

Hi! Well, I have a problem, I'm writing Extended Project For Applied Science about Death of the Universe, I am stuck. I am really desperate so I decided to put it on forum. First: The Universe is accelerating so, according to Lorentz's Factor, its mass should be increasing m = \gamma m_{0} =...

Homework Statement http://picasaweb.google.com/RBWang1225/DropBox?pli=1&gsessionid=ZEGTyKIL2-jRa6hnTPGfxg#5432828568883584962 http://picasaweb.google.com/RBWang1225/TheClassicalTheoryOfFileds#5432828592785160466 Homework Equations...

Homework Statement Using the technique of Taylor expansion, find an approximate expression for the relativistic factor γ for small v (i.e., expanded around v = 0) that is correct to order v2. Homework Equations γ=1/SQRT(1+ V2/C2). But in class, my professor just substituted X=V/C, so...

SOLVED (Problem 10, Chapter 2, Modern Physics - Serway) Homework Statement Recall that the magnetic force on a charge q moving with velocity \vec{v} in a magnetic field \vec{B} is equal to q\vec{v}\times\vec{B}. If a charged particle moves in a circular orbit with a fixed speed v in the...

Hi, I'm currently writing a paper on Relativity, which mostly uses original papers of Einstein. For this reason, I have little idea what the ultimate fallout of all his upheaval is. I am aware that electromagnetic fields become "shadows" of the complex mathematical entity called the...

This isn't really so much of a homework problem, but I'm reading this webpage, and there's one part of the derivation of the required proton KE needed to produce a static antiproton. The part that's puzzling me is "and using... m2inc4 - p2inc2 = m20c4 " I don't see where this formula is...

Hey, I have two separate questions: 1) If one is moving in a car and throws a ball straight up, say out the sun roof, the ball will have zero velocity relative to an observer in the car. Conversely, it will have the velocity of the car to a stationary observer. How does one account for drag...