The speed of light and relativity
Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
A muon lives 2.197 μs at rest and moves at 0.99c, where c = 299.792458 m per μs. Using t = γt₀, how far does it travel in one lifetime, to the nearest m, Ari?
A muon lives 2.197 μs at rest and moves at 0.995c, where c = 299.792458 m per μs. Using t = γt₀, how far does it travel in one lifetime, to the nearest m, Bo?
A muon lives 2.197 μs at rest and moves at 0.999c, where c = 299.792458 m per μs. Using t = γt₀, how far does it travel in one lifetime, to the nearest m, Esme?
Jun says relativity has no practical use in daily life. Agree or disagree?
- Agree: GPS works without it
- Agree: clocks can't detect it
- Disagree: GPS depends on it
Kira says time dilation just means fast clocks are broken. Agree or disagree?
- Agree: cold slows the clocks down
- Agree: high speed damages the clocks' gears
- Disagree: time itself runs differently
Luz says a muon would notice its own life stretched. Agree or disagree?
- Disagree: it lives 2.197 μs in its frame
- Agree: it feels its time stop completely
- Agree: it feels 10 times longer
Read this first
GPS satellite clocks compared with ground clocks (from Ashby's fractional rates × 86,400 s)
Effect Change in the satellite clock (μs per day) Weaker gravity at its height +45.7 Its orbital speed -7.1 Net +38.6 Using the table, if the net 38.6 μs a day weren't corrected, about how far would positions drift each day, Milo?
- About 116.0 km
- About 0.1 km
- About 11.6 km
Using the table, which effect is bigger for a GPS clock, Pia?
- Orbital speed, about 6 times bigger
- Weaker gravity, about 6 times bigger
- They are equal in size
At 0.1c, γ is about 1.005. What does this say about everyday speeds, Ren?
- Clocks run at half speed
- Lengths double at them
- Time dilation is tiny at them
At about what speed is γ equal to 2, Tala?
- Half of c, 0.5c
- Twice c, 2c
- About 0.87c