Physics Department; BITS - Pilani ; Semester I (Session 2017-18)

Theory of Relativity (PHY F315) ; Assignment - 1 ; Date : 21/08/2017

1st tut test (15 pts.) will be conducted on 26th August (SAT) based on this type of problems.

Q1. Show that rotation of coordinates by an angle about z-axis leaves the line element ds2 = dx2 + dy 2 + dz 2
invariant.

2 2 2 1 2
Q2. Show that the differential operator x2 + y 2 + z 2 c2 t2 is invariant under Lorentz Boost. Does the above
operator also remain invariant under Galilean transformation ?

Q3(a) Show that the transformation equations, ct0 = [(cosh)ct (sinh)x] & x0 = [(sinh)ct + (cosh)x] leaves
the line element ds2 = c2 dt2 dx2 + dy 2 + dz 2 invariant.
(b) If the S 0 moves along the common x x0 with velocity v w.r.t. S, find the relation between the velocity v
and the hyperbolic angle and hence, show that above transformation is equivalent to your familiar form of Lorentz
Boosts : ct0 = [ct vc x]; x = [x vt].

Q4. When a spaceship passes earth at relative velocity v = 0.6c (event 1), clocks are synchronized ; t1 = t01 = 0. At
time t2 = 10 min a light pulse is emitted from earth toward the spaceship (event 2). At time t03 , the light pulse is
detected on the spaceship (event 3).
(a) Identify the proper time intervals among t12 , t13 , t23 , t012 , t013 and t023 .
(b) Find the time of event 2 as recorded on the spaceship.
(c) Find the distance between earth and spaceship at event 2 as seen in both frames.
(d) Find the time of event 3 as recorded on earth and on the spaceship.

Q5. Rockets A and B each having a proper length 100 m, pass each other moving in opposite directions. According
to clocks on rocket A, the front end of rocket B takes 1.5 106 second to pass the entire length of A.
(a) What is the relative velocity of the rockets ?
(b) According to clocks on rocket B, how long does the front end of A take to pass the entire length of rocket B ?
(c) According to clocks on rocket B, how much time passes between the time when the front end of A passes the
front end of B ? Does this time interval agree with your answer to part (b) ? Should it ?

Q6. Short lived particles are produced in high energy collisions at accelerator centers (such as Fermilab@Illionis,
LHC@CERN) as well as in atmospheric collisions with cosmic ray. Pions (standard symbol, ) such such a particles
which decay according to N (t) = N0 et/ . Where is the half life. Imagine that in an experiment a pulse of pions
are produced and it is observed that two-third of the pions reach a detector a distance 35 m from the point where
they were created. All the pions can be assumed to have the same velocity.
(a) What is the velocity of the pions ? (b) What is the distance from the target to the detector in the rest frame of
the pions ?

***BEST OF LUCK***