PH 201 – CLASSICAL MECHANICS (Aug. – Dec.

2018)
Problem sheet – 6

1. How fast must an electron move such that its mass is equal to (i) twice its rest mass, (ii) equal to
the rest mass of a proton. Also, comment whether the electron can be accelerated to the velocity
of light.

2. Calculate the length of a rod of rest length 2 m, moving at 0.73c as observed by an observer at rest.
Also, compute at what speed the length in motion of the rod will be half of its rest length?

3. A π-meson of mass mπ at rest disintegrates into a µ-meson of mass mµ and a neutrino of effectively
zero mass. Show that the kinetic energy of motion of the µ-meson (i.e. without the rest mass
energy) is
(mπ − mµ )2 2
T = c .
2 mπ
4. Two photons, each with energy E, collide at an angle θ and create a particle of mass M . Calculate
M in terms of E and θ.

5. A large mass M , moving at a relativistic speed V , collides and sticks to a small mass m, initially
at rest. Find out the mass of the resulting object, in the limit M  m.

6. Show that a photon cannot break up into an electron and a positron. In other words, show that
this process is kinematically forbidden.

7. A particle of mass m moves along the x-axis under a force F = −mω 2 x. If the amplitude is b, show
that the time period is given by
b
ω2 2
Z
4 γ
T = dx, where γ =1+ (b − x2 ).
2c2
p
c 0 γ2 − 1

Also, show that one gets the correct expression for the time period T ≈ 2π/ω in the non-relativistic
limit ωb  c.