University of the Philippines

College of Science

Physics 73
Second Problem Set
Second Semester, AY 20142015
Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

Instructions: Choose the letter of the best answer to each of the following questions. To
change your answer, cross (X) out the shaded letter and supply your new answer with your
signature beside the item. Any form of cheating in examinations or any act of dishonesty in
relation to studies, such as plagiarism, shall be subject to disciplinary action.

Hour 17
1. Natural energy. The kinetic energy of a particle was measured to be 0.850 kg. What is the
energy of the particle in SI units?
A. 2.83 109 J
B. 2.55 108 J
C. 9.44 1018 J
D. 7.65 1016 J
2. Inertial Reference Frame. Which of the following is an inertial reference frame?
A. a powered rocket
B. a helicopter hovering above the ground
C. a small room resting on the ground
D. a freely-falling elevator
3. Natural Units. In the 2012 Olympics, Usain Bolt ran 200 m in 19.32 s. What is his average
speed in natural units?
A. 3.45 108
B. 3.11 10+9
C. 3.11 109
D. 3.45 10+8

Hour 18
4. Prim and Proper. A space traveler with a wristwatch started from the origin and traveled
a distance of 2.5 years with a constant speed of 0.357 according to the lab frame. What is
the time recorded by the space travelers wristwatch?
A. 7.44 yrs
B. 6.54 yrs
C. 2.34 yrs
D. 2.65 yrs

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

5. Umeextra. You are an observer located at (x=3.0 m, y=4.0 m, z=5.0 m). A reference flash
of light is then sent from the origin to all clocks in the lattice. To what time must the clock
be set in order for it to be synchronized with all other clocks in the lattice.
A. 50.0 m
B. 7.07 m
C. 3.46 m
D. 0.00 m
6. Same ground. Two events occur at the same place and are 2 m in time apart according to
the rocket frame. According to the lab frame, the two events are separated by 5 m in space.
What is the time separation of the two events according to the lab frame?
A. 4.58 m
B. 5.39 m
C. 1.73 m
D. 2.65 m
Hour 19

7. Events. Refer to the figure below. Which of the follow-

ing is FALSE about the set of events?
A. Event B can affect A by using a particle with
speed less than the speed of light.
B. Events A and C are not causally related.
C. Events A, C, and E are in the future lightcone
of B.
D. Event A can be affected by D by using a parti-
cle with speed less than the speed of light.

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

8. You like this? Which of the following statements is TRUE?

I. If events A and B are timelike, then they will always be timelike in all other inertial
reference frames.
II. If events A and B are spacelike, then they will have no effect on each other in all other
inertial reference frames
III. If event A causes event B in one reference frame, then the event B will cause event A
in some other inertial reference frame
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
9. Curvy Curves. Which of the following statements is true about invariant hyperbolas?
I. Invariant hyperbolas describe events with the same interval for a given reference frame.
II. As seen by another reference frame, the same event can only be found in the invariant
hyperbola.
III. The intersections of the spacelike and timelike invariant hyperbolas define the light
cone.
A. I and II only
B. II and III only
C. I and III only
D. I, II and III

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

10. Ayoko nang pumara. A relativistic jeepney is travelling at a speed as measured by the
lab frame. As measured by the frame stationary with respect to the jeepney, the rear end
was located at x = 1 and the front end was located at x = 3 at t = 0. Which of the
following figures show the correct worldlines for the front and rear end of the jeep as seen
by the frame stationary with respect to the jeepney? (Measurements were made in some
natural units)

A. C.

B. D.

Hour 20
11. Bakit iba? According to the lab frame, an event occurred at coordinates (3.00 s,5.00 s).
An observer riding a spaceship measured the event to occur at (1.00 s,-2.50 s). What is the
velocity of the spaceship as measured by the lab frame?
A. 0.263
B. 0.806
C. -0.263
D. -0.806

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

12. Three is a crowd! Joseph is moving at a velocity +0.30 with respect to Ken, while Leo
is moving with unknown speed in the opposite direction as observed by Ken. As the three
friends meet, they all witnessed an explosion. Joseph only recorded the distance to the
event to be 7.00 m, while Leo recorded the coordinates to be (9.00 m, 3.00 m). What is the
coordinates of the event according to Ken?
A. (10.37 m,5.98 m)
B. (13.7 m,10.8 m)
C. (9.33 m,3.88 m)
D. (8.49 m,0.314 m)
13. Leo Lorentz-o. Which of the following idea/s is/are true about the Lorentz Transforma-
tion?
I. The coefficients of the transformation are dependent of the event under consideration.
II. The interval between two events should be invariant for different reference frames.
III. The speed of a particle stationary in the rocket frame should be equal to the speed of
the rocket frame.
A. I and II
B. I and III
C. II and III
D. I, II, and III
14. Sa lab naman. A rocket frame is moving at = 0.5 with respect to the lab frame. The
rocket frame measures the coordinates of an event as (2.8 m, 3.5 m). What would be the
coordinates of the same event as measured by the lab frame if the spacetime origins of both
frames coincide?
A. (5.3 m, 5.7 m)
B. (1.2 m, 2.4 m)
C. (5.7 m, 5.3 m)
D. (2.4 m, 1.2 m)

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

Hour 21
15. Shuri-KenStick. Ken threw his stick with length 1.50 m such that it is moving at a constant
speed of 0.450 with respect to him. How long is Kens stick as measured by Ken?
A. 1.68 m
B. 2.02 m
C. 1.11 m
D. 1.34 m
16. Iwas Late. Taylor only had one hour left before his classes start, so he rode a relativistic
bus moving at speed 0.75 relative to the reference frame of his boss. If he arrives on time
according to his watch, how many hours was Taylor late according to his boss?
A. 0.512 hr
B. 1.00 hr
C. 0.800 hr
D. 0.756 hr

17. Lezgo 2D. A box (length = 5.00 m, width = 3.00 m) was moving with a speed = 0.40
along the length axis with respect to the laboratory frame. What is the width of the box as
measured by the laboratory frame?

A. 2.75 m
B. 3.00 m
C. 3.27 m
D. 4.58 m

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

18. Space travel adventure. One night, an alien took you for a space travel adventure. You
and the alien traveled at 0.85c for 3.00 hours according to your wristwatch. How long have
you been away from earth according to the wall clock in your room?
A. 1.58 hours
B. 3.00 hours
C. 2.55 hours
D. 5.69 hours
Hour 22

For the next two numbers, consider the following two-

observer spacetime diagram, where time and space are
measured in meters and the primed axes denote the
rocket frame. Let an event be determined by the black
dot.

19. Time. According to the rocket frame, what is true about the time of the event?
A. The event occurred at a time t equal to 4 m
B. The event occurred at a time t less than 4 m
C. The event occurred at a time t greater than 5 m
D. The event occurred at a time t between 4 m and 5 m
20. Space. According to the rocket frame, what is true about the position of the event?
A. The event occurred at a position x equal to 4 m
B. The event occurred at a position x less than 4 m
C. The event occurred at a position x greater than 5 m
D. The event occurred at a position x between 4 m and 5 m

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

21. Now and Then. Refer to the given two-observer spacetime diagram. Arrange the set of
events according to decreasing time as measured by the rocket frame.

A. D, B, A and F simultaneous, C, E
B. F, D, B, E, A, C
C. D, B and F simultaneous, A, E, C
D. D, B, F, A, E, C
Hour 23
22. Wavelength. At the spatial origin, a point source is emitting light of wavelength . A
man carrying a photon detector measures the wavelength of the emitted light and records a
wavelength four times shorter than . What can you say about the mans motion?
A. moving towards the origin with speed 0.882
B. moving away from the origin with speed 0.882
C. moving towards the origin with speed 0.939
D. moving away from the origin with speed 0.939

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

23. Rapidity. Consider a particle moving at a constant velocity as observed by a lab frame and
a rocket frame. If the rapidity of the particle as measured by the lab and rocket frames are
= 7.21 and 0 = 6.49, respectively, what is the velocity of the rocket frame as measured
by the lab frame?
A. -0.617
B. 0.853
C. 0.617
D. -0.853
24. Pokemon. Two Pokemon, Mewtwo and Deoxys, are chasing their target. If the velocity
of their target is -0.500 according to Mewtwo and -0.600 according to Deoxys, what is the
velocity of Deoxys according to Mewtwo? (Assuming all of their motion are in one line,
and their velocities are constant)
A. -0.846
B. 0.100
C. -0.077
D. 0.143
25. Bullet. A bullet gains a constant velocity of 0.300 after being fired from a rocket frame. If
the magnitude of the bullets velocity is doubled as measured in a laboratory frame, what
is the relative velocity of the rocket frame with respect to the laboratory frame?
A. 0.763
B. -0.763
C. 0.365
D. -0.365

Hour 24
For the next two numbers, consider a particle with mass 4 eV moving from an emitter to a de-
tector with some constant velocity. It was measured that the proper time between the emission
and detection of the particle is 2 m.
26. Delta t. If an inertial frame determines that the time interval between the emission and
detection of the particle is 5 m, what is the energy of the particle in this frame?

A. 8 eV C. 12 eV
B. 10 eV D. 14 eV

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

27. Delta x. If another inertial frame determines that the distance between the emitter and
detector is 7 m, what is the magnitude of the momentum of the particle in this frame?
A. 8 eV
B. 10 eV
C. 12 eV
D. 14 eV

28. Speedy. What should be the speed of a relativistic particle of mass m to have a total energy
twice its kinetic energy?
A. 0.670
B. 0.712
C. 0.867
D. 0.914

29. Energy Ratio. An electron (me = 1.67 1027 kg) and an alpha particle (m = 6.64
1027 kg) are brought into constant speeds of e = 0.41 and = 0.35, respectively,
for a collision. What is the ratio of the total energies, E /Ee , of the two particles before
collision?
A. 4.11
B. 0.242
C. 3.87
D. 0.263

Hour 25
30. LTPI. The energy and momentum of a particle in the lab frame was measured as (6 kg,
3 kg). If a rocket frame moves with velocity = 45 with respect to the lab frame, what will
be the measured values of the rocket frame for the energy and momentum of the particle?
A. (6 kg, 3 kg)
B. (6 kg, 3 kg)
C. (14 kg, 13 kg)
D. (14 kg, 13 kg)

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

31. Lorentz Worldline. The following

laboratory spacetime diagram shows a worldline of a
particle (label A) with mass 8 kg and the spacetime axes of the rocket frame. What is the
energy and momentum of the particle as measured by the rocket frame?

A. (4.5 kg, 3.5 kg)

B. (4.5 kg, 3.5 kg)
C. (3 kg, 1 kg)
D. (3 kg, 1 kg)
32. Doppler Shi*t. A photon moves in the xy rocket plane in a direction that makes an angle
with the x-axis. The photon has energy E as measured by the rocket frame. If the rocket
frames moves along the x-axis with velocity with respect to the lab frame, what will be
the measured E of the photon for the lab frame?
1
A. E = E 0 (1 2 ) 2 [1 + cos ]
1
B. E = E 0 (1 2 ) 2 [1 cos ]
1
C. E = E 0 (1 2 ) 2 [1 + sin ]
1
D. E = E 0 (1 2 ) 2 [1 sin ]

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

Hour 26
33. Mass. A particle has four-momentum (E = 4.0, Px = 0.2, Py = 1.0, Pz = 0.5) in units of
GeV. What is its mass?
A. 3.6 GeV
B. 3.8 GeV
C. 4.2 GeV
D. 15 GeV
34. Masser. A particle has energy 13 kg and momentum 5 kg according to a lab frame. What
is the mass of the particle?
A. 13.9 kg
B. 12.0 kg
C. 18.0 kg
D. 8.0 kg
35. Momentum. According to a certain inertial reference frame a photon has energy equal to
16 MeV. What is its momentum as measured by the same frame?
A. 0 MeV
B. 4 MeV
C. 16 MeV
D. 256 MeV

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

36. worldline3173. The following diagram shows the energy-momentum vector of 4 particles
measured in a laboratory frame. Which particle has the greatest mass?

Hour 27
37. Kaon. A neutral Kaon with mass 498 MeV at rest decays into a positive pion and a negative
pion which have the same mass 135 MeV. What is the kinetic energy of each pion?
A. 228 MeV
B. 114 MeV
C. 182 MeV
D. 249 MeV
38. We belong together. Find the system mass for two photons, one moving in +x direction
with energy E. and the other moving in the y direction with energy 2E.
A. E
B. 2E
C. 3E
D. 4E

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Second Problem Set Second Semester, AY 20142015 Physics 73

39. The Hardest Thing. A nucleus of mass m initially at rest absorbs a gamma ray. The
nucleus then moves with some velocity and its mass increases to 3m after the collision.
What must be the energy of the incoming gamma ray to carry out this excitation?

A. 2m
B. 3m
C. 4m
D. 5m
40. Sparks Fly. A positron of mass m and kinetic energy 2m is made to annihilate with an
electron of the same mass m initially at rest. After the collision, two photons are produced.
What is the energy of the photon moving at the same direction as the positron initially?

1
  1
 
A. 2 3+ 3 m C. 2 4+ 8 m
1
  1
 
B. 2 3 3 m D. 2 4 8 m

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