User interface language: English | Español

Date May 2011 Marks available 4 Reference code 11M.3.HL.TZ2.10
Level Higher level Paper Paper 3 Time zone Time zone 2
Command term Explain and State Question number 10 Adapted from N/A

Question

This question is about relativity.

Carrie is in a spaceship that is travelling towards a star in a straight-line at constant velocity as observed by Peter. Peter is at rest relative to the star.

Carrie and Louise, two observers in a spaceship, view a light source placed close to Carrie. When the spaceship is travelling at a constant velocity, they both measure the frequency of the light source and obtain identical values.

The magnitude of the velocity of the spaceship increases.

State and explain any changes to the frequency of the light source, as measured by Louise, that occur during the acceleration.

Markscheme

speed of light is independent of speed of source;
so (because of acceleration) source appears to move away from Louise / OWTTE;
Doppler effect predicts a red-shift;
Louise measures a lower frequency;

or

accelerating spaceship is equivalent to being at rest in a gravitational field / OWTTE;
photons leaving the source therefore gain potential energy and lose kinetic energy;
since E=hf;
Louise will measure a lower frequency;

Examiners report

[N/A]

Syllabus sections

Option A: Relativity » Option A: Relativity (Core topics) » A.2 – Lorentz transformations
Show 94 related questions

View options