chapter 35 special theory of relativity. what einstein discovered about space and time is that they...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 35
Special Theory of Relativity
What Einstein discovered about space and time is that they
a. are separate entities.
b. are linked.
c. follow an inverse-square law.
d. are special to today’s space travelers.
What Einstein discovered about space and time is that they
a. are separate entities.
b. are linked.
c. follow an inverse-square law.
d. are special to today’s space travelers.
The Michelson-Morley experiment showed that
a. the speed of light is not relative.
b. the speed of light is relative.
c. light changes frequency with repeated reflections.
d. light can be split into parts.
The Michelson-Morley experiment showed that
a. the speed of light is not relative.
b. the speed of light is relative.
c. light changes frequency with repeated reflections.
d. light can be split into parts.
Comment: Light can indeed be split into parts with half-silvered mirrors, but that is not what the Michelson-Morley experiment showed.
Einstein stated that the laws of physics are
a. different in different situations.
b. common sense applied to microscopic and macroscopic things.
c. the same in all frames of reference.
d. the same in all uniformly moving frames of reference.
Einstein stated that the laws of physics are
a. different in different situations.
b. common sense applied to microscopic and macroscopic things.
c. the same in all frames of reference.
d. the same in all uniformly moving frames of reference.
Einstein’s second postulate tells us that the speed of light
a. depends on one’s frame of reference.
b. is a constant in all frames of reference.
c. provides accurate clocks.
d. slows in a transparent medium.
Einstein’s second postulate tells us that the speed of light
a. depends on one’s frame of reference.
b. is a constant in all frames of reference.
c. provides accurate clocks.
d. slows in a transparent medium.
Compared with events that occur simultaneously in a particular reference
frame, events occurring in another reference frame
a. will be seen as simultaneous also.
b. may or may not be seen as simultaneous also.
c. will not be seen as simultaneous.
d. None of these.
Compared with events that occur simultaneously in a particular reference
frame, events occurring in another reference frame
a. will be seen as simultaneous also.
b. may or may not be seen as simultaneous also.
c. will not be seen as simultaneous.
d. None of these.
When we speak of time dilation, we mean that time
a. compresses with speed.
b. stretches with speed.
c. is a constant at all speeds.
d. is related to space.
When we speak of time dilation, we mean that time
a. compresses with speed.
b. stretches with speed.
c. is a constant at all speeds.
d. is related to space.
Inside a rocket ship traveling at enormously high speeds, you would notice your companions in the ship
a. aging differently.
b. somewhat compressed.
c. slightly more massive.
d. None of these.
Inside a rocket ship traveling at enormously high speeds, you would notice your companions in the ship
a. aging differently.
b. somewhat compressed.
c. slightly more massive.
d. None of these.
Comment: The effects of relativity always refer to the other guy. In this case, the other guy is not among those in your frame of reference!
You are looking into the past when you look at
a. distant stars.
b. distant planets.
c. your image in a mirror.
d. All of these.
You are looking into the past when you look at
a. distant stars.
b. distant planets.
c. your image in a mirror.
d. All of these.
Comment: How far back you look into the past varies with distance!
As a blinking light source recedes from you at high speed, you see the
frequency of flashes
a. increased.
b. decreased.
c. remain unchanged.
d. None of these.
As a blinking light source recedes from you at high speed, you see the
frequency of flashes
a. increased.
b. decreased.
c. remain unchanged.
d. None of these.
When you return from high-speed space travel, you find your stay-at-home friends
a. older.
b. younger.
c. no older or no younger.
d. very happy because they’ve been reading old editions of Conceptual Physics.
When you return from high-speed space travel, you find your stay-at-home friends
a. older.
b. younger.
c. no older or no younger.
d. very happy because they’ve been reading old editions of Conceptual Physics.
Pretend that a starship is somehow traveling at c relative to Earth, and it fires
a drone forward at speed c relative to itself. The speed of the drone relative to Earth is
a. c.
b. less than c.
c. more than c.
d. exactly 2c.
Pretend that a starship is somehow traveling at c relative to Earth, and it fires
a drone forward at speed c relative to itself. The speed of the drone relative to Earth is
a. c.
b. less than c.
c. more than c.
d. exactly 2c.
Comment: The only speed for the speed of light in free space is c.
When we speak of length contraction, we mean that the length of things
a. compresses with speed.
b. elongates with speed.
c. remains constant at all speeds.
d. is related to space.
When we speak of length contraction, we mean that the length of things
a. compresses with speed.
b. elongates with speed.
c. remains constant at all speeds.
d. is related to space.
When an observer at rest watches a high-speed spaceship, objects on the
ship appear
a. shorter in the direction of travel.
b. shrunken uniformly.
c. shorter in the direction perpendicular to travel.
d. longer in all directions.
When an observer at rest watches a high-speed spaceship, objects on the
ship appear
a. shorter in the direction of travel.
b. shrunken uniformly.
c. shorter in the direction perpendicular to travel.
d. longer in all directions.
Compared with the Newtonian momentum p = mv, the momentum of
an object traveling at great speed is
a. greater by a factor of .
b. less by a factor of .
c. no different.
d. None of the above.
Compared with the Newtonian momentum p = mv, the momentum of
an object traveling at great speed is
a. greater by a factor of .
b. less by a factor of .
c. no different.
d. None of the above.
A beam of electrons hits a screen after being bent by a magnet. Due to
relativistic effects in the magnetic field, the beam bends
a. less.
b. more.
c. no differently.
d. in an unpredictable way.
A beam of electrons hits a screen after being bent by a magnet. Due to
relativistic effects in the magnetic field, the beam bends
a. less.
b. more.
c. no differently.
d. in an unpredictable way.
According to special relativity, you on Earth watching a high-speed spaceship
would notice
a. clocks on the ship running slow.
b. people on the ship aging more quickly.
c. masses of things on the ship decreasing.
d. All of these.
According to special relativity, you on Earth watching a high-speed spaceship
would notice
a. clocks on the ship running slow.
b. people on the ship aging more quickly.
c. masses of things on the ship decreasing.
d. All of these.
Comment: Aging and mass changes are opposite, as choices B and C state.
To say that E = mc2 is to say that energy
a. increases as the speed of light squared.
b. is twice as much as the speed of light.
c. and mass are equivalent.
d. equals mass traveling at the speed of light squared.
To say that E = mc2 is to say that energy
a. increases as the speed of light squared.
b. is twice as much as the speed of light.
c. and mass are equivalent.
d. equals mass traveling at the speed of light squared.
When everyday low speeds are inserted into the relativity equations for time, length,
and momentum, the equations
a. correspond to Newtonian physics.
b. don’t work.
c. work only by inserting a factor of .
d. None of the above.
When everyday low speeds are inserted into the relativity equations for time, length,
and momentum, the equations
a. correspond to Newtonian physics.
b. don’t work.
c. work only by inserting a factor of .
d. None of the above.
According to the correspondence principle,
a. new theory must agree with old theory where they overlap.
b. Newton’s mechanics is as valid as Einstein’s mechanics.
c. relativity equations apply to high speeds while Newton’s equations apply to low speeds.
d. special relativity and general relativity are two sides of the same coin.
According to the correspondence principle,
a. new theory must agree with old theory where they overlap.
b. Newton’s mechanics is as valid as Einstein’s mechanics.
c. relativity equations apply to high speeds while Newton’s equations apply to low speeds.
d. special relativity and general relativity are two sides of the same coin.
The correspondence principle tells us that
a. Newton’s and Einstein’s physics are one and the same.
b. mass and energy are one and the same.
c. special relativity and general relativity both say the same thing.
d. new theory must agree with old theory where they overlap.
The correspondence principle tells us that
a. Newton’s and Einstein’s physics are one and the same.
b. mass and energy are one and the same.
c. special relativity and general relativity both say the same thing.
d. new theory must agree with old theory where they overlap.