Question 1

According to the special theory of relativity, while traveling at very high speed your pulse rate

Accepted Answer

A) increases. 
B) decreases. 
C) remains unchanged. 
A) increases. 
B) decreases. 
C) remains unchanged. C

Question 2

Relative to some reference frame in the universe, you may now be traveling at a speed

Accepted Answer

A) faster than the speed of light. 
B) slower than the speed of light. 
C) at the speed of light. 
D) any of the above 
A) faster than the speed of light. 
B) slower than the speed of light. 
C) at the speed of light. 
D) any of the above B

Question 3

Electrons fired in vintage TV tubes traveled at about 0.25 times the speed of light, having more momentum and energy than would be required classically to get that speed. Strictly speaking, this

Accepted Answer

A) increased your electric bill. 
B) decreased your electric bill. 
C) had no effect on your electric bill. 
A) increased your electric bill. 
B) decreased your electric bill. 
C) had no effect on your electric bill. A

Question 4

The length of a 100-meter long spaceship passing by you at 0.87c is seen to be

Accepted Answer

A) 50 m. 
B) 87 m. 
C) 100 m. 
D) 125 m. 
E) 150 m. 
A) 50 m. 
B) 87 m. 
C) 100 m. 
D) 125 m. 
E) 150 m.

Question 5

As a spaceship moves away from you at half the speed of light, it fires a probe, also away from you at half the speed of light relative to the spaceship. Relative to you, the probe moves at

Accepted Answer

A) 0.80c. 
B) 0.87c. 
C) 0.90c. 
D) 0.95c. 
E) c. 
A) 0.80c. 
B) 0.87c. 
C) 0.90c. 
D) 0.95c. 
E) c.

Question 6

To the surprise of Michelson and Morley, their interferometer experiment provided evidence that the speed of light is

Accepted Answer

A) invariant. 
B) the same whether its source approaches or recedes. 
C) constant. 
D) all of the above 
A) invariant. 
B) the same whether its source approaches or recedes. 
C) constant. 
D) all of the above

Question 7

Objects moving at relativistic speeds appear to observers at rest to be

Accepted Answer

A) stretched. 
B) shrunken. 
C) either depending on direction of motion. 
D) none of the above 
A) stretched. 
B) shrunken. 
C) either depending on direction of motion. 
D) none of the above

Question 8

Einstein rejected the classical idea that space and time are

Accepted Answer

A) two parts of a whole. 
B) connected to each other. 
C) independent of each other. 
A) two parts of a whole. 
B) connected to each other. 
C) independent of each other.

Question 9

All events and all things exist in "the spacetime continuum" with coordinates

Accepted Answer

A) of distances in three dimensions. 
B) of time. 
C) both of these 
D) none of these 
A) of distances in three dimensions. 
B) of time. 
C) both of these 
D) none of these

Question 10

As you approach a steady light source, the wavelength of the emitted light appears

Accepted Answer

A) longer. 
B) shorter. 
C) the same. 
A) longer. 
B) shorter. 
C) the same.

Question 11

We are actually looking into the past when we look at

Accepted Answer

A) a distant star. 
B) our physics book. 
C) actually both of these 
D) none of the above 
A) a distant star. 
B) our physics book. 
C) actually both of these 
D) none of the above

Question 12

A girl standing on the ground observes a rocket ship move past her at half the speed of light. Compared to the rocket's length at rest, she sees the rocket's length as

Accepted Answer

A) longer. 
B) shorter. 
C) the same length. 
A) longer. 
B) shorter. 
C) the same length.

Question 13

When you shake an apple to and fro, you're shaking

Accepted Answer

A) energy. 
B) nothing. 
C) the universe. 
A) energy. 
B) nothing. 
C) the universe.

Question 14

A 10-meter-long spear is thrown at relativistic speeds through a 10-meter-long pipe. (Both these dimensions are measured when each is at rest.)When the spear passes through the pipe

Accepted Answer

A) the spear appears to shrink so the pipe completely covers it. 
B) the pipe appears to shrink so the spear extends from both ends. 
C) both appear to shrink equally so the pipe barely covers the spear. 
D) any of these, depending on the motion of the observer (moving with the spear, at rest with the pipe, and so on). 
E) none of the above 
A) the spear appears to shrink so the pipe completely covers it. 
B) the pipe appears to shrink so the spear extends from both ends. 
C) both appear to shrink equally so the pipe barely covers the spear. 
D) any of these, depending on the motion of the observer (moving with the spear, at rest with the pipe, and so on). 
E) none of the above

Question 15

If an antimatter meteor of mass m were to strike the Earth, the amount of radiant energy produced would be

Accepted Answer

A) less than mc2. 
B) mc2. 
C) 2mc2. 
D) none of the above 
A) less than mc2. 
B) mc2. 
C) 2mc2. 
D) none of the above

Question 16

When we apply the Lorentz factor γ to momentum, we

Accepted Answer

A) multiply by γ as with the equation for time dilation. 
B) multiply by the reciprocal of γ. 
C) find it does not apply. 
A) multiply by γ as with the equation for time dilation. 
B) multiply by the reciprocal of γ. 
C) find it does not apply.

Question 17

As the speed of a particle approaches the speed of light, the momentum of the particle

Accepted Answer

A) approaches zero. 
B) approaches infinity. 
C) transforms to energy. 
D) is no longer in spacetime. 
A) approaches zero. 
B) approaches infinity. 
C) transforms to energy. 
D) is no longer in spacetime.

Question 18

Two spaceships approaching each other move at very close to the speed of light, each sending a beam of light to the other. Each measures the speed of light from the other spaceship as

Accepted Answer

A) slightly less than c. 
B) c. 
C) slightly greater than c. 
D) much greater than c. 
A) slightly less than c. 
B) c. 
C) slightly greater than c. 
D) much greater than c.

Question 19

According to the well-known equation E = mc2,

Accepted Answer

A) mass and energy travel at the speed of light squared. 
B) energy is actually mass traveling at the speed of light squared. 
C) mass and energy travel at twice the speed of light. 
D) mass and energy are related. 
E) none of the above 
A) mass and energy travel at the speed of light squared. 
B) energy is actually mass traveling at the speed of light squared. 
C) mass and energy travel at twice the speed of light. 
D) mass and energy are related. 
E) none of the above

Question 20

When a blinking light source moves relative to you, the speed of the light

Accepted Answer

A) changes but the frequency of blinks remains constant. 
B) remains constant but the frequency of blinks can change. 
C) stays the same, as does the blinking frequency. 
A) changes but the frequency of blinks remains constant. 
B) remains constant but the frequency of blinks can change. 
C) stays the same, as does the blinking frequency.

Exam 35: Special Theory of Relativity

According to the special theory of relativity, while traveling at very high speed your pulse rate

Relative to some reference frame in the universe, you may now be traveling at a speed

Electrons fired in vintage TV tubes traveled at about 0.25 times the speed of light, having more momentum and energy than would be required classically to get that speed. Strictly speaking, this

The length of a 100-meter long spaceship passing by you at 0.87c is seen to be

As a spaceship moves away from you at half the speed of light, it fires a probe, also away from you at half the speed of light relative to the spaceship. Relative to you, the probe moves at

To the surprise of Michelson and Morley, their interferometer experiment provided evidence that the speed of light is

Objects moving at relativistic speeds appear to observers at rest to be

Einstein rejected the classical idea that space and time are

All events and all things exist in "the spacetime continuum" with coordinates

As you approach a steady light source, the wavelength of the emitted light appears

We are actually looking into the past when we look at

A girl standing on the ground observes a rocket ship move past her at half the speed of light. Compared to the rocket's length at rest, she sees the rocket's length as

When you shake an apple to and fro, you're shaking

A 10-meter-long spear is thrown at relativistic speeds through a 10-meter-long pipe. (Both these dimensions are measured when each is at rest.)When the spear passes through the pipe

If an antimatter meteor of mass m were to strike the Earth, the amount of radiant energy produced would be

When we apply the Lorentz factor γ to momentum, we

As the speed of a particle approaches the speed of light, the momentum of the particle

Two spaceships approaching each other move at very close to the speed of light, each sending a beam of light to the other. Each measures the speed of light from the other spaceship as

According to the well-known equation E = mc2,

When a blinking light source moves relative to you, the speed of the light

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According to the well-known equation E = mc²,