Learning Goal: To introduce space-time diagrams to show that the speed of light

Question

Learning Goal: To introduce space-time diagrams to show that the speed of light postulate necessarily makes simultaneity a relative concept.

In this problem, we will introduce space-time diagrams, also called Minkowski diagrams, to provide a graphical way to think about this and related problems of simultaneity. In a space-time diagram, quantity c imes m{time} rather than time is plotted vertically and the x position horizontally.
An object (or a light pulse) is represented by a line, called a world line. On the space-time diagram; a world line is straight if the object is moving in a straight line in a region of space not seriously perturbed by nearby massive objects (e.g., black holes).
This problem offers several questions related to the graphs shown in this figure .

We will first consider the world line of light, or a particle of light, traveling at speed c. A particle of light is called a photon. If a photon starts at x_0 and travels along the x-axis, then its position vs. time is x(t)=x_0 pm ct. Therefore, the slope of a photon's world line is pm 1. The orange lines represent the world line of light/photons (traveling in the positive x direction).

http://session.masteringphysics.com/problemAsset/1011324/6/132056A.jpg (This is the image copy and paste into url)

Part A

Explanation / Answer

Part A

d, green

Part B

d, blue

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse L
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.