PHYS 222/PHYS309 Fall2021 Name:…………………

Exercise 1: /3

A square area of 100 cm2 is at rest in the reference frame of an observer O. Another observer O ’
is moving at a speed of 0.8c relative to O and parallel to one side of the square area. What does
the observer O’ measure for the area?

Exercise 2: /3

Two particles are created in a collision and move off in opposite directions. The speed of one
particle, as measured in the laboratory reference frame, is 0.65c, and the speed of each particle
relative the other is 0.95c. What is the speed of the second particle, as measured in the
laboratory?

Exercise 3:

A clock in a spaceship is observed to run at a speed of only 3/5 that of a similar clock at rest on
earth. How fast is the spaceship moving? /2

Exercise 4:

Prove that the quantity S2=x2+y2+z2-(ct)2 is invariant under Lorentz transformation.

Exercise 5:

A spaceship is moving at a speed of 0.84c away from an observer at rest. A person in the
spaceship fires a proton gun with protons having speed of 0.62c. what is the speed of the protons
measured by the observer at rest when:

a) The gun is shot away from the observer

b) Toward the observer?

Special Relativity Page 1