Concept explainers
Integrated Concepts
Sunlight above the Earth's atmosphere has an intensity of 1.30kW/m2. If this is reflected straight back from a mirror that has only a small recoil, the light's momentum is exactly reversed, giving the mirror twice the incident momentum. (a) Calculate the force per square meter of mirror. (b) Very low mass mirrors can be constructed in the near weightlessness of space, and attached to a spaceship to sail it. Once done, the average mass per square meter of the spaceship is 0.100 kg. Find the acceleration of the spaceship if all other forces are balanced. (c) How fast is it moving 24 hours later?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 29 Solutions
College Physics
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
University Physics Volume 2
Essential University Physics: Volume 2 (3rd Edition)
College Physics (10th Edition)
College Physics: A Strategic Approach (4th Edition)
Sears And Zemansky's University Physics With Modern Physics
Tutorials in Introductory Physics
- Plans for ail accelerator that produces a secondary beam of K mesons to scatter from nuclei, for the purpose of studying the strong force, call for them to have a kinetic energy of 500 MeV. (a) What would the relativistic quantity =11v2/c2be for these particles? (b) How long would their average lifetime be in the laboratory? (c) How far could they travel in this time?arrow_forwardAn observer in a coasting spacecraft moves toward a mirror at speed v relative to the reference frame labeled by S in Figure P26.46. The mirror is stationary with respect to S. A light pulse emitted by the spacecraft travels toward the mirror and is reflected back to the spacecraft. The spacecraft is a distance d from the mirror (as measured by observers in S) at the moment the light pulse leaves the spacecraft. What is the total travel time of the pulse as measured by observers in (a) the S frame and (b) the spacecraft? Figure P26.46arrow_forwardAn observer in a coasting spacecraft moves toward a mirror at speed v relative to the reference frame labeled by S in Figure P26.46. The mirror is stationary with respect to S. A light pulse emitted by the spacecraft travels toward the mirror and is reflected back to the spacecraft. The spacecraft is a distance d from the mirror (as measured by observers in S) at the moment the light pulse leaves the spacecraft. What is the total travel time of the pulse as measured by observers in (a) the S frame and (b) the spacecraft? Figure P26.46arrow_forward
- The light from a heated atomic gas is shifted in frequency because of the random thermal motion of light-emitting atoms toward or away from an observer. Estimate the fractional Doppler shift (f/f0), assuming that light of frequency f0 is emitted in the rest frame of each atom, that the light-emitting atoms are iron atoms in a star at temperature 6000 K, and that the atoms are moving relative to an observer with the mean speed =8kBTm Must we use the relativistic Doppler shift formulas f=f01/c1/c for this calculation? Such thermal Doppler shifts are measurable and are used to determine stellar surface temperatures.arrow_forwardOne cosmic ray neuron has a velocity of 0.250c relative to the Earth. (a) What is the neutron's total energy in MeV? (b) Find its momentum. (c) Is in this situation? Discuss in terms of the equation given in part (a) of the previous problem.arrow_forward(a) Beta decay is nuclear decay in which an electron is emitted. If the electron is given 0.750 MeV of kinetic energy, what is its velocity? (b) Comment on how the high velocity is consistent with the kinetic energy as it compares to the rest mass energy of the electron.arrow_forward
- A positron is an antimatter version of the electron, having exactly the same mass. When a positron and an electron meet, they annihilate, converting all of their mass into energy. (a) Find the energy released, assuming negligible kinetic energy before the annihilation. (b) If this energy is given to a proton in the form of kinetic energy, what is its velocity? (c) If this energy is given to another electron in the form of kinetic energy, what is its velocity?arrow_forwardIn a frame at rest with respect to the billiard table, a billiard ball of mass m moving with speed v strikes another billiard ball of mass m at rest. The first ball comes to rest after the collision while the second ball takes off with speed v in the original direction of the motion of the first ball. This shows that momentum is conserved in this frame. (a) Now, describe the same collision from the perspective of a frame that is moving with speed v in the direction of the motion of the first ball. (b) Is the momentum conserved in this frame?arrow_forwardA muon formed high in Earth's atmosphere travels toward Earth at a speed v = 0.990c for a distance of 4.60 km as measured by an observer at rest with respect to Earth. It then decays into an electron, a neutrino, and an antineutrino. (a) How long does the muon survive according to an observer at rest on Earth? (b) Compute the gamma factor associated with the muon. (c) How much time passes according to an observer traveling with the muon? (d) What distance does the muon travel according to an observer traveling with the muon? (e) A third observer traveling toward the muon at c/2 measures the lifetime of the particle. According to this observer, is the muons lifetime shorter or longer than the lifetime measured by the observer at rest with respect to Earth? Explain.arrow_forward
- . If the relativistic kinetic energy of a particle is 9 times its rest energy, at what fraction of the speed of light must the particle be traveling?arrow_forwardOne cosmic ray neutron has a velocity of 0.250c relative to the Earth. (a) What is the neutron's total energy in MeV? (b) Find its momentum. (c) Is Epc in this situation? Discuss in terms of the equation given in part (a) of the previous problem.arrow_forwardA muon formed high in Earth's atmosphere travels toward Earth at a speed v = 0.990c for a distance of 4.60 km as measured by an observer at rest with respect to Earth. It then decays into an electron, a neutrino, and an antineutrino. (a) How long does the muon survive according to an observer at rest on Earth? (b) Compute the gamma factor associated with the muon. (c) How much time passes according to an observer traveling with the muon? (d) What distance does the muon travel according to an observer traveling with the muon? (e) A third observer traveling toward the muon at c/2 measures the lifetime of the particle. According to this observer, is the muons lifetime shorter or longer than the lifetime measured by the observer at rest with respect to Earth? Explain.arrow_forward
- Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based TextPhysicsISBN:9781133104261Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningCollege PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781305952300Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris VuillePublisher:Cengage LearningPhysics for Scientists and Engineers, Technology ...PhysicsISBN:9781305116399Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage Learning
- College PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781285737027Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris VuillePublisher:Cengage LearningPhysics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations...PhysicsISBN:9781133939146Author:Katz, Debora M.Publisher:Cengage LearningModern PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781111794378Author:Raymond A. Serway, Clement J. Moses, Curt A. MoyerPublisher:Cengage Learning