Relativistic Momentum derivative respect to velocity

Curtis15
Messages
23
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



show the d(γmu) = m(1-(u^2/c^2))^(-3/2)

Homework Equations



C = constant, m = constant, γ= (1-(u^2/c^2))^(-1/2)

The Attempt at a Solution



So in calculating d(γmu)/du, I thought I would take out the m first since it is a constant and then just add it in later.

m * d(γu)/du

So I just have to calculate what γ is. γ= (1-(u^2/c^2))^(-1/2), so by chain rule the derivative of this is (-1/2)((1-(u^2/c^2))^(-3/2) * -2u/c^2. Then I just multiply this by m and I get
m(u/c^2)(1-(u^2/c^2))^(-3/2).

This differs from the correct solution by the factor (u/c^2) which i got from doing the chain rule and calculating the derivative of the inside with respect to u. If someone could please show me the error in my ways, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Is it \gamma * m * u ? If so, you must use the product rule first, then the chain rule.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
Back
Top