Homework 1

Flores Torres, Leonardo

February 18, 2019

Chapter 3. Supplementary problems.

3.8 Obtain (3.2) from (3.1).
 0
 x = qx−vtv2


 1− c2




t− v x


t0 = q c2v2
 1− c2






γ = q 1 v 2


1− c2

Commencing with the spatial coordinates,

x0 = {x − vt}γ
x = x0 γ −1 + vt
n v o
= x0 γ −1 + v t0 γ −1 + 2 x
c
n v2 o n 0 0
o
−1
x 1 − 2 = x + vt γ
c
x x0 + vt0
=
γ2 γ
x + vt0
0
x= q
2
1 − vc2

Finally with the time coordinates,

n v o
t0 = t − 2 x γ
c
0 −1 v
t = t γ + 2x
c n
v o
t = t0 γ −1 + 2 x0 γ −1 + vt
c
n vo n0 v 0 o −1
t 1 − 2 = t + 2x γ
c c o
n v
tγ = t + 2 x0 γ −1
−2 0
c
n v o
t = t0 + 2 x0 γ
n c o
t0 + cv2 x0
t= q
2
1 − vc2

3.9 as determined by O0 , a lightning bolt strikes at x0 = 60m, y 0 = z 0 = 0, t0 = 8E − 8s. O0 has a velocity og 0.6c

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 along the x − axis of O. What are the space-time coordinates of the strike as determined by O?
 0

 y = z0 = 0
x0 = 60m

initial data


 v = 0.6c
0
t = 8E − 8s
Just substituting in the formulas we already know,
x0 + vt0
x= q = 93m
2
1 − vc2

t0 + v2 x0
t= q c = 0.25E − 8s
2
1 − vc2

3.10 Observer O0 has a velocity of 0.8c relative to O, and clock are adjusted such that t = t0 = 0 when x = x0 = 0.
If O determines that a flashbulb goes off at x = 50m and t = 2E − 7s, what is the time of this events as
measured by O0 ? 
x = x0 = 0

initial data t0 = 0

v = 0.8c


this problem is solver simply by using the relative time formula as shown next,
t − v2 x
t0 = q c
2
1 − vc2
= 1.111E − 7s

3.11 Refer to the problem 3.11. If a second flashbulb flashes at x0 = 10m and t0 = 2E − 7s as determined by O0 ,
what is the time interval between the two events as measured by O?

0
x = 10m

0
initial data t = 2E − 7s

v = 0.8c


Calculating the time felt by O,

t0 + v2 x0
t2 = q c
2
1 − vc2
= 3.777E − 7s
But we know from the problem 3.10 that the first flashbulb goes off at t1 = 2E −7s, therefore the time interval
between the two events as seen by O is
∆t = t2 − t1 = 1.77E − 7s

3.12 Refer to the problem 3.11. What is the spatial separation of the two events as measured by (a)O, (b)O0 ?

Solving the spatial separation for O, we know that the first flashbulb goes off at x1 = 50m, and for x2
it is known that t02 = 2E − 7s and x02 = 10m, also everything is happening at a velocity of v = 0.8c, therefore
the spatial separation between the two events is
x2 = 96.666m
∆x = x2 − x1
= 46.66m

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The procedure for O0 is analogous to the previous one solved. On this case x02 = 10m, and finally calculating
x01 ,

x01 = 3.333m
∆x = x02 − x01
= 6.67m

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Chapter 4. Supplementary problems.
4.6 An airplane is moving with respect to the earth at speed of 600 m/s. Its proper length is 50 m. By how much
it will appear to be shortened to an observer on earth?
(
v = 600m/s∗
initial data
L0 = 50m
r  v 2
2
L = L0 1 − (1)
c
So we have that the length of the plane viewed by a person on the earth is

L ≈ 49.999 ≈ 50

Finally, the plane will appear to be shortened

∆L = L0 − L ≈ 1E − 10m

4.7 Compute the contraction in length of a train 1/2 mile long when it is traveling at 100mi/hr.
1
L0 = mi
2
mi
v = 100
hr
mi
c = 6.71E8
hr
Using the equation 1,

L ≈ L0 (0.9999) = 0.4999 mi
∆L = L0 − L = 5.55E − 15mi

4.8 At what speed must an observer move past the earth so that the earth appears like an ellipse whose major
axis is six times its minor axis?

Figure 1: Earth seen by an steady observer and another moving at relativistic speed. Where a is the minor axis
and b the major axis.

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 The equation of an ellipse is
x2 y2
+ =1 (2)
a2 b2
Making the assumption that earth is completely spherical, this is a = b, for an observer who’s not moving.
But if another passes near the earth at relativistic velocity, then it will appear to be contracted and it will
resemble an ellipse.

Using equation 1 just for the x-axis because it will only contract in that direction, we have
r
0 v2
Lx = Lx 1 − 2
c
r
v 2
a0 = a 1 − 2
c
r
b v2
=b 1− 2
6 c
r
1
v =c 1−
36
c√
v= 35
6
= 0.986013297c

4.9 An observer O0 holds a 1m stick at an angle of 30◦ with respect to the positive x − axis. O0 is moving in the
positive x − x0 direction with a velocity of 0.8c with respect to the observer O. What are the length and the
angle of the stick as measured by O?

We can deduce the following,

L0x = cos 30◦

√
3
= m
2
L0y = Ly = sin 30◦
1
= m
2
Using eq.1 to solve this problem

r
v2
Lx = L0x 1−
c2
√
3 3
= m
10

Ly
θ = arctan
Lx
= 0.7666rad
= 43.897◦

Finally, the stick as viewed for O has a length of

Ly
sin θ =
L
Ly
L=
sin θ
= 0.7207m

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4.10 A square of area 100cm2 is at rest in the reference frame of O. Observer O0 moves relative to O at 0.8c and
parallel to one side of the square. What does O0 measure for the area?

Figure 2: The square as seen by both observers.

The length of the square will contract while its height will remain the same; using eq.1
L0x = 6 cm
The area is one of a rectangle, so
A = L0x ∗ Ly = 60cm2
4.11 For the square of the Problem 4.11, find the area measured by O0 if O0 is moving at a velocity 0.8c relative to
O and along a diagonal of the square.

The diagonal of the square at O is

q
2 2
diagonal = F E + F G
√
= 10 2 cm

Figure 3: The square as seen by both observers.

Now it is easy to see that the area of the square measured by O0 will be the area of a rhombus, its area it’s
given by
D∗d
A= (3)
2
Where D is AD and d is BC. Now, to find the contraction of the diagonal as seen by O0 we need to use eq.1.
r
0 v2
diagonal = diagonal 1 − 2
c
√
= 6 2cm

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 Finally, d = diagonal0 & D = diagonal, so from eq.3

A = 60 cm2

4.12 Repeat the problem 4.5 if O0 moves with the same speed parallel to a diagonal of a face of the cube.

This problem is easy to solve because it’s an analogy of problem 4.11. Try to imagine the 3 diagonals of the
cube, dx , dy , dz , the problem indicates that O0 is moving forward in the direction of one of those diagonal.
Let’s chose dx . This means that O0 will not see a contraction on dy or dz , so a face of the cube would resemble
to Fig 3.
√
Because it’s a cube, every side has length of 10cm, the diagonals have length of 10 2 cm.The contraction of
dx is
r
0 v2
dx = dx 1 − 2
c
√
= 6 2 cm

The area of the rhombus in 2D as in problem 4.11 is

dx ∗ dy
A=
2
= 60 cm2

And the volume of the rhomboid is

V = A ∗ lz
= 600 cm3

Where lz = 10cm is the length of the cube parallel to the z − axis (not to confuse lz with dz ).