Unit 24: Modern Physics and Cosmology

• Grade 11/12
Lesson 24.1: Special and General
Theory of Relativity
Worksheet 3

Name:
Date:

Grade and Section: Rating:

Instructions: Provide a complete solution for each item.

1. Aly is on a spaceship and flew past a billboard in space with a length of 15 meters.
(a) How fast is she moving if the proper length of the billboard is really 35 meters? (b)
How long will the billboard appear if Aly is travelling at a speed of 0.99c?

2. Astronauts plan to travel at a speed of 0.950c to reach a star named Wolf 424. Based on
our calculations here on Earth, it will take them 11 years to reach it. The astronauts
disagree with our calculations. Why? Show your complete solution.
 Unit 19: Mass, Momentum, and Energy Conservation • SHS

3. Suppose you are planning for a trip to another star and you will be travelling at a speed
of 0.85c. Your rocket is 65 m long when it is at rest on the ground. How long will the rocket
be with respect to an observer on the ground once it started travelling at relativistic
speeds? Is it advisable for you to sleep in a shorter cabin once you are traveling inside the
rocket? Why or why not?

Copyright © 2019 Quipper Limited 2