Relativistic energy of particle of mass

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SUMMARY

A particle of mass M decays into two identical particles, each with mass m = 0.3M, while having a total energy of 5Mc² in the laboratory frame. The velocities of the decay products were calculated using the relativistic energy equation Etot = mc² / √(1 - u²/c²). The correct velocities of the decay products in the laboratory frame are found to be approximately 0.99c and 0.83c after applying the velocity transformation. The initial error in calculations was attributed to a rounding mistake in significant figures.

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  • Understanding of relativistic energy equations
  • Familiarity with velocity transformation in special relativity
  • Knowledge of significant figures in scientific calculations
  • Basic concepts of particle decay and mass-energy equivalence
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  • Study the derivation of the relativistic energy equation Etot = mc² / √(1 - u²/c²)
  • Learn about velocity transformation in special relativity
  • Explore significant figures and their importance in physics calculations
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Homework Statement



A particle of mass M decays into two identical particles each of mass m, where m = 0.3M. Prior to the decay, the particle of mass M has a total energy of 5Mc2 in the laboratory reference frame. The velocities of the decay product are along the direction of motion M. Find the velocities of the decay products in the laboratory reference frame.

Homework Equations



Etot=[tex]\frac{mc^2}{\sqrt{1-\frac{u^2}{c^2}}}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution



Since I am given the total energy to be 5Mc^2 in the frame of the laboratory, I plugged it into the above equation and solved for u. I get u to be .9798c. I have also found the velocities of the particles in the frame of the initial particle to be +/-.8c. However, when I do the velocity transformation, I get the faster particle to be moving .99c and the slower particle to be moving .83c relative to the laboratory, but my online homework is saying these answers are wrong. Can anybody help me figure out where I am going wrong? I am comfortable with my velocity transformation mathematics, so I figure the mistake is with the velocity of the particle of mass M.
 
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Could just be a rounding error...how many sig-digs are your final results supposed to be?
 
You're right. I ended up getting one of the answers wrong because I input .833c instead of .832c when the problem only gave one number with one significant figure. Thanks though.
 

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