University of the Philippines

College of Science

PHYSICS 73
2nd Long Probset

2nd semester
AY 2013 - 2014
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the best answer and shade the corresponding circle in
your answer sheet. To change your answer, cross-out and sign your original
answer and then shade your new answer.

USEFUL CONSTANTS:
Planck’s constant: h = 6.626 x 10-34 J s
Electron-volt: 1eV = 1.602 x 10-19 J

Hour 18

1. Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A. All the laws of physics are the same in every inertial reference frame.
B. The numerical values of the physical constants contained in the laws of
physics are the same in every inertial reference frame.
C. The laws of physics cannot provide a way to distinguish one inertial
reference frame from another.
D. The speed of light varies between inertial reference frames.
E. One inertial reference frame has uniform velocity relative to any second
and overlapping inertial reference frame.

2. Which of the following is a non-inertial reference frame?

A. inside a box in an unpowered parabolic flight
B. a helicopter hovering above the ground
C. a freely-falling elevator
D. an unpowered satellite orbiting the Earth
E. a comet swinging in a hyperbolic flight around the sun

Hour 19

3. Two events occur at the same place and are 2m in time apart according to
the lab frame. According to the rocket frame however, the two events are
separated by 3m in space. What is the time separation of the two events
according to the rocket frame?
A. √13 m

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B. √5 m
C. 0
D. 5 m
E. 13 m

4. Which of the following is invariant for inertial reference frames?

I. The distance between two events.
II. The spacetime interval between two events.
III. The time interval between two events.
IV. The proper time of a worldline between two events.

A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I and II only
E. II and IV only

5. The coordinates (t, x, y, z) of event A is (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0) while that of
event B is (8.0, 7.0, 6.0, 5.0). What is the interval between the two events?
A. 3.7
B. 14
C. 6.6
D. 7
E. 5.9

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Hour 20

For the next two questions, refer to the spacetime diagram below.

6. What event/s can be caused by event B?

A. A and C
B. none
C. D
D. A
E. B

7. What is the speed of the particle that travels from event A to event B?
A. 1/3
B. 3
C. 6
D. 2
E. 0

8. In the lab frame, a particle is found to have a constant velocity v while it

travelled a distance Δx such that it traces out a straight worldline in a
spacetime diagram. What is the proper time along this worldline?
A. Δx/ v

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B. (1-v2) –-1/2 Δx/ v
C. Δx
D. (1-v2)1/2 Δx/ v
E. 0

9. Which of the following statements is false?

I. The proper time between two events depends on the worldline
connecting the two said events
II. A worldline can always connect two events separated by a spacelike
interval
III. The proper time of a worldline is frame independent
IV. A worldline passing through an event A is always inside or on the
lightcone of event A
A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. IV only
E. All of them are true

Hour 21

10. The coordinates (t, x) of two events for a lab frame is (0.0, 3.0) and (1.0,
2.0). For an observer in a reference frame moving at βR = 0.20 relative to the
lab frame, what is the interval between the two events?
A. 0.0
B. 0.42
C. 0.43i
D. 1.2
E. 1.0

11. Consider a rocket frame moving to the right with a constant velocity 0.6
with respect to a laboratory frame. The rocket observed that an event A
happened at the coordinates (t’ = 0m, x’ = 5m). When did event A occur
according to the laboratory frame?
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A. 6.25 m
B. 3.75 m
C. 0 m
D. -3.75 m
E. -6.25 m

12. The coordinates (t’, x’) of an event for a rocket frame moving at βR =
+0.200 relative to the lab frame are (1.00, 5.00). What are the coordinates of
the same event as seen in the lab frame?
A. (2.04, 5.31)
B. (1.96, 5.09)
C. (0.00, 4.90)
D. (0.00, 4.70)
E. (1.00, 5.20)

Hour 22

13. If (interval)2 < 0 for two events, then there exists an inertial reference
frame where the two events
A. occur at the same time.
B. occur at the same place.
C. occur at the same time and place.
D. lie in the worldline of a photon.
E. lie in the worldline of a particle with non-zero mass.

14. Two simultaneous events are observed in the lab frame to have a spatial
separation of 3 m. In the rocket frame, the two events have a time separation
of 1 m. What is the spatial separation of these two events in the rocket frame?
A. 3 m
B. 1 m
C. 2√2 m
D. √10 m

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E. There is no such rocket frame

15. Assume that the Earth is an inertial reference frame. A cube has a length
of 10m as measured by an observer on Earth. What will be the volume of the
cube measured by a rocket moving to the right at a speed 0.60 relative to the
Earth?
A. 512 m3
B. 640 m3
C. 800 m3
D. 1000 m3
E. 1250 m3

16. Consider a rocket frame moving with a constant velocity 0.6 along the +y-
axis of a laboratory frame. If the rocket observed that an event A happened at
the coordinates (t’ = 0m, x’ = 3m, y’ = 4m, z’ = 5m). What should be the
coordinates (t, x, y, z) of the same event as measured in the laboratory frame?
A. (3.75m, 3m, 4m, 6.25m)
B. (2.25m, 3.75m, 4m, 5m)
C. (3m, 3m, 5m, 5m)
D. (3m, 5m, 4m, 5m)
E. (5m, 3m, 3m, 5m)

17. Suppose two simultaneous events A and B occur at location x = 5m and x

= 10m, respectively, in a lab frame. Which of the following is a CORRECT
observation by someone in a rocket frame moving to the right with respect to
the lab frame?
A. Events A and B are simultaneous
B. Event B occurred before Event A
C. Event A occurred before Event B
D. Events A and B are spatially separated by 5m
E. Observation depends on the speed of the rocket

18. A spaceship of proper length 100m passes you at high speed. You measure
the length of the ship to be 85m. What is the speed βr of the spaceship?

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A. 0.53
B. 0.62
C. 0.28
D. 0.38
E. 1.31

19. A meter stick at rest in a rocket frame and makes an angle of 30° with the
x’ axis. If rocket moves at βr = 0.8 (relative to the lab frame) in the +x
direction, what angle does it make with the x axis of the lab frame?
A. 44°
B. 19°
C. 90°
D. 24°
E. 66°

Hour 23

For the next two numbers, consider five events A, B, C, D, and E in a two-
observer spacetime diagram as shown below with the primed and unprimed
axes for the rocket and lab frame, respectively

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20. What is the relative speed and direction of the rocket frame with respect to
the lab frame?
A. 0.29, moving to the left
B. 0.25, moving to the right
C. 0.20, moving to the right
D. 0.25, moving to the left
E. 0.29, moving to the right

21. Arrange the events in ASCENDING order according to their time of

occurrence in the rocket frame.
A. A < B < C < D = E
B. A < B < D < C < E
C. A < B < C < D < E
D. A < B < C = D < E
E. A < B = D < C < E

22. Consider the three-observer spacetime diagram below. The coordinates of

event A in the different reference frames are (tA, xA), (t’A, x’A), and (t’’A, x’’A).
Which of the following is TRUE?

A. t’’A = t’A
B. t’A = tA
C. t’’A = tA

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D. x’A = xA
E. x’’A = x’A

23. Consider the two observer diagram below. The coordinates of the event
(defined by the black dot) are (5.00, 5.00) in the lab frame. What are the
coordinates of the same event in the rocket frame, moving with βr = +0.25
relative to the lab frame, defined by the primed axes?

A. (4.39, 1.81)
B. (3.87, 3.87)
C. (2.89, 2.89)
D. (4.04, 0.58)
E. (3.87, 5.87)

Hour 24

24. In the lab frame, a massless particle was determined to have a velocity
1.00. A rocket frame, with velocity 0.25 relative to the lab frame, also
observes the same particle. According to the rocket frame, what is the velocity
of the particle?
A. 0.00
B. 0.25
C. 0.50
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D. 0.75
E. 1.00

25. A source with speed 0.8 moving away relative to a stationary observer
emits an electromagnetic wave of period T. What will be the resulting period
of the wave as measured by the stationary observer?
A. 0.3T
B. 0.5T
C. T
D. 2T
E. 3T

26. Two (futuristic) assassins, Aveline and Connor, are chasing their target. If
the velocity of their target is 0.5 according to Aveline and 0.2 according to
Connor, what is the velocity of Aveline according to Connor? (Assuming all
of their motion are in one line, and their velocities are constant)
A. -0.7
B. 0.7
C. - 0.3333
D. 0.3333
E. 0

27. A relativistic jet moves with velocity +v with respect to Earth. Along its
path, it releases a deadly missile moving with velocity +0.3 towards another
jet in front of it. If the same missile has a velocity +0.7 as measured by an
Earth observer, what is v?
A. 0.33
B. 0.40
C. 0.51
D. 0.58
E. 0.83

Hour 25

28. What is the total momentum of a 10 kg stationary particle with total

energy of 10 kg?
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A. 10 kg
B. √10 kg
C. 0.1 kg
D. 0 kg
E. 1 kg

29. A particle of mass m is constrained to move in one spatial dimension. It

was observed by the lab frame to travel a distance Δx during a time Δt at a
constant velocity. What is the energy of this particle?
A. ( (Δx)2 - (Δt)2 )-1/2 mΔx
B. ( (Δt)2 - (Δx)2 )-1/2 mΔx
C. ( (Δx)2 - (Δt)2 )-1/2 mΔt
D. ( (Δt)2 - (Δx)2 )-1/2 mΔt
E. ( (Δt)2 - (Δx)2 )-1/2 m

30. A particle with total energy of 6.0 kg moves along the +x-direction at a
constant speed of 0.6. What is the magnitude of its momentum?
A. 2.8 kg
B. 3.6 kg
C. 5.6 kg
D. 6.0 kg
E. 9.0 kg

Hour 26

31. A particle of mass m is constrained to move in one spatial dimension. It

was observed by the lab frame to have an energy of 4MeV and momentum of
3MeV. A rocket frame measures the momentum of this particle to be zero.
What is the velocity of this rocket frame relative to the lab frame?
A. 1/12
B. 3/4
C. 1/3
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D. 1/4
E. No such rocket frame exists

32. A particle of mass 4 kg is observed to be stationary in a laboratory frame.

Suppose a rocket frame moves with a constant velocity 0.6 along the +x-axis
of the laboratory frame, what is the magnitude of the momentum of the
particle as measured in the rocket frame?
A. 3.8 kg
B. 3.0 kg
C. 2.3 kg
D. 1.8 kg
E. 0.0 kg

33. A particle of mass m is constrained to move in one spatial dimension. It

was observed by the lab frame to have a constant velocity v. A rocket frame,
with velocity vR relative to the lab frame, is observing the same particle. What
is the momentum of this particle according to the rocket frame?
A. (1 - v2 )-1/2 (1 - vR2 )-1/2 m(v - vR)
B. (1 - v2 )-1/2 (1 - vR2 )-1/2 m(1 - vR v)
C. (1 - vR2 )-1/2 m(1 - vR v)
D. (1 - v2 )-1/2 m(v - vR)
E. (1 - v2 )-1/2 (1 - vR2 )-1/2 m

34. A particle of total energy 13 kg is moving to the right with momentum 12

kg as measured in a rocket frame. If the rocket frame moves with a constant
velocity 0.6 along the +x-axis of a lab frame, what is the total energy of the
particle as measured in the lab frame?
A. 39.5 kg
B. 33.0 kg
C. 24.8 kg
D. 13.0 kg
E. 5.3 kg

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Hour 27

35. In the lab frame, a particle of mass m is found to have some kinetic energy
T. In a rocket frame, its momentum was found to be zero. What is the energy
of the particle as measured by the rocket frame?
A. T
B. m
C. T + m
D. T - m
E. 0

36. An object is observed to move through the lab at high speed. Its total
energy and the components of its momentum are measured by lab workers to
be E = 4.95kg, px = 1.25kg, py = 0.99kg and pz = 0.99kg. What is the object’s
rest mass?
A. 4.58kg
B. 5.29kg
C. 4.99kg
D. 21.0kg
E. 1.31kg

37. The total energy of an electron is measured to be 2.40 MeV. Given that
the rest mass of the electron is 9.11 x 10-31 kg and its rest energy is 0.511
MeV, find the electron’s momentum.
A. 2.34MeV
B. 5.50MeV
C. 1.37MeV
D. 2.45MeV
E. 6.02MeV

38. The mass of a stationary object in reference frame S is 7.5 kg. In the S’
reference frame where the object’s momentum is 10.0 kg, what is its kinetic
energy?
A. 45.0 kg

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B. 25.0 kg
C. 15.0 kg
D. 5.0 kg
E. 0.0 kg

Hour 28

39. A particle of mass m with kinetic energy 4m collides inelastically with a

particle at rest of mass 2m. What is the total mass of the system after
collision?
A. m
B. 3m
C. 3.5m
D. 4.6m
E. 5m

40. Consider the hypothetical interaction: Two particle of equal rest mass m
are moving towards each other at the same speed β. They collide and stick
together to form a single particle with rest mass M. What is M?
A. 2m/(1 – β2)1/2
B. 2m
C. 0
D. m/(1 – β2)1/2
E. m/[2(1 – β2)1/2]

41. Two photons, both with energy E, one moving in the +x axis direction and
another moving in the -x axis direction, collide to create a particle with mass
m. What is the kinetic energy of the created particle?
A. 2E
B. E - m
C. 2(E - m)
D. 2m
E. 0

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42. A particle of mass m1 and kinetic energy T, collides head-on with
stationary particle with mass m2. What is the sum of the final momenta of the
two particles?
A. T + m2
B. (T2 + 2Tm2)1/2
C. T + m1
D. (T2 + 2Tm1)1/2
E. T + m1 + m2

END OF EXAM

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