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Special Theory of Relativity Questions with solutions
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Special Theory of Relativity
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Special Theory of RelativityWhat does the Special theory of Relativity say? - answer Laws of physics are the same
for all observers moving at constant speeds relative to each other.
Speed of light is the same for all observers.
What makes theory of relativity special? - answer It is only valid for observers moving
with constant relative speeds (no acceleration).
What makes the theory of relativity strange? - answer Speed of light is a constant for all
observers.
C = speed of light which is how much? - answer300,000 km/sec = 648 million mi/h
Consequences of theory of special relativity - answer Time dilation, length contraction,
breaking simultaneity
What does the theory of relativity describe?
Why is it "special?"
Why is "relativity" used? - answer How motion affects our measurements of distance
and time. Someone moving in a different way would measure different lengths for
objects and different duration of events.
It is special because it does not include the effects of gravity.
Relativity is used because one of the key ideas of the theory is that all measurements
are made relative to an observer.
What is length contraction? - answerThe length of an object depends on how that object
is moving. The faster it moves, shorter its length along along its direction of motion.
The observed decrease in length of an object which is moving at high speeds. An
observer at rest measures the length of moving objects to be shorter.
Effect is noticeable only at very high speeds, near the speed of light.
What is time dilation? - answerObjects observed in motion are shorter in their direction
of motion and clocks observed in motion tick more slowly.
What provides an example of length contraction and time dilation? - answerCosmic rays
which originate outside of Earth's atmosphere.
, Cosmic rays are mostly made up of what? - answerProtons and helium nuclei
How are muons formed? - answerCollision of cosmic rays with upper atmospheric
nuclei that produce other particles, particularly muons. This can only be explained by
special relativity.
Describe muons - answerMuons decay into other particles in 2 Means (on average).
They can move about 0.6 km. Almost none will make it to the surface, 10 km away.
In the rest frame of the Earth (in allowing muons to strike the surface) - answerBecause
of time dilation, surface clocks see the muon's lifetime to be about 10 Ms, thus allowing
many muons to strike the surface
In the rest frame of the muon (in allowing muons to strike the surface) - answerMuon
still lives for 2 Ms but due to length contraction, distance to the surface is only 2 km,
which allow them to strike the surface
Both frames of references (Earth and Muon rest frame) yield same or different results? -
answerSame for different reasons
Define Space-time - answerIn relativity, one-dimension of time proves to be so
intertwined with three dimensions of space to create a single four-dimensional entity
When was General Theory of Relativity complete? - answerIn 1915, Einstein presented
four lectures with the final lecture "Field Equations of Gravitation" to Prussian Academy
of Sciences
After publication of special relativity, what happened? - answerEinstein began to
generalize it to include accelerated reference frames. This would prove to be profoundly
difficult and revolutionize thinking about space, time and gravity.
What does Equivalence principle show us? - answerGeneral relativity will somehow be
connected to gravity. It predicts new non-Newtonian phenomena such as bending of
light near a massive body.
It allowed Einstein to focus entirely on motion when discussing gravity.
What are consequences to generalizing relativity? - answerRequired that massive
objects like the Sun or Earth would distort the space-time around it.
What did Einstein envision gravity as being caused by? How did he describe it? -
answercurvature of space. He described it entirely in geometry of both space AND
TIME (spacetime)
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