Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani (Hyderabad Campus)

Course No. PHY F315, Course title: Theory of Relativity

Lorentz Transformation of 3-velocity
Problem Sheet-1
Q1. A reference frame 𝐵 is moving with respect to reference frame 𝐴 with speed 𝑐/3 in positive
𝑥-direction and reference frame 𝐶 is moving with respect to reference frame 𝐵 with speed 𝑐/6 in
positive 𝑥-direction.

(i) What will be the velocity of 𝐶 with respect to 𝐴?

(ii) What will be the velocity of 𝐴 with respect to 𝐶?

Q2. Particle 𝐴 is moving in a positive 𝑥-direction with velocity 𝑣𝐴 , and particle 𝐵 is moving in a
negative 𝑥-direction with velocity 𝑣𝐵 with respect to an inertial frame 𝐶. If both the particles are
moving towards each other, then

(i) What will be the velocity of 𝐵 with respect to 𝐴?

(ii) Check your answer by substituting 𝑣𝐵 = 𝑐.
(iii)What will be the velocity of 𝐴 with respect to 𝐵?
(iv) Check your answer by substituting 𝑣𝐵 = 𝑐.

Q3. Two photons are moving away from each other with respect to an inertial frame Σ along the
𝑥-direction. Find the speed of one photon with respect to the other.

Q4. Two particles A and B are moving with velocities 𝑣𝐴 and 𝑣𝐵 with respect to an inertial frame Σ.
If the particle 𝐴 is moving in the positive 𝑥-direction and the particle 𝐵 is moving in the negative
𝑦-direction, then

(i) What will be the velocity of 𝐵 with respect to 𝐴?

(ii) Check your answer by substituting 𝑣𝐴 = 𝑐
(iii)What will be the velocity of A with respect to B?
(iv) Check your answer by substituting 𝑣𝐵 = 𝑐.

Q5. A spaceship 𝑆1 leaves the earth along the direction, making an angle 300 with the positive 𝑥-
axis and another spaceship 𝑆2 also leaves the earth along the positive 𝑥-direction. The speeds of
𝑆1 and 𝑆2 are measured as 0.9𝑐 and 0.8𝑐 on the earth. Find the speed of 𝑆1 as measured by the
observer in frame 𝑆2 .

𝑨𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔
9𝑐 9𝑐
𝑸𝟏. (𝑖) 𝑥̂, (𝑖𝑖) − 𝑥̂
19 19
−(𝑣𝐴 + 𝑣𝐵 ) (𝑣𝐴 + 𝑣𝐵 )
𝑸𝟐. (𝑖) 2
𝑥̂, (𝑖𝑖) − 𝑐𝑥̂, (𝑖𝑖𝑖) 𝑥̂, (𝑖𝑣) 𝑐𝑥̂; 𝑸𝟑. 𝑐𝑥̂
1 + (𝑣𝐴 𝑣𝐵 /𝑐 ) 1 + (𝑣𝐴 𝑣𝐵 /𝑐 2 )

𝑣𝐴2 𝑣𝐵2
𝑸𝟒. (𝑖) − 𝑣𝐴 𝑥̂ − 𝑣𝐵 √1 − ( 2 ) 𝑦̂, (𝑖𝑖) − 𝑐𝑥̂, (𝑖𝑖𝑖) 𝑣𝐴 √1 − ( 2 ) 𝑥̂ + 𝑣𝐴 𝑦̂, (𝑖𝑣) 𝑐𝑦̂; 𝑸𝟓. 0.72𝑐
𝑐 𝑐