Could someone please explain the answer to these multiple choice questions? Would be much appreciated! Thanks
(Answers in order of attachments: A, D, C)
That last one is nasty! Okay, so basically, the golf ball is travelling at 0.1c, and if we didn't take special relativity into account, we would say 0.7c is the answer, since the ship is travelling at 0.6c. However, we must remember that:
- The length of the ship as measured from earth (also the distance travelled by the golf ball as measured from earth) is shorter due to
length contraction- The time taken for the ball to reach the other side of the ship (as measured from earth) is longer due to
time dilation.
If we look at the equation for speed:
Then clearly, the speed of the golf ball as viewed from earth will be
less than what is measured by the astronauts. However, it will still add to the 0.6c, just not as much as we would expect.
This gives the answer of C let me know if this makes sense!