DP Physics Questionbank

Description

Nature of science:

Paradigm shift: Einstein realized that the law of conservation of momentum could not be maintained as a law of physics. He therefore deduced that in order for momentum to be conserved under all conditions, the definition of momentum had to change and along with it the definitions of other mechanics quantities such as kinetic energy and total energy of a particle. This was a major paradigm shift. (2.3)

Understandings:

• Total energy and rest energy
• Relativistic momentum
• Particle acceleration
• Electric charge as an invariant quantity
• Photons
• MeV c ^–2 as the unit of mass and MeV c ^–1 as the unit of momentum

Applications and skills:

• Describing the laws of conservation of momentum and conservation of energy within special relativity
• Determining the potential difference necessary to accelerate a particle to a given speed or energy
• Solving problems involving relativistic energy and momentum conservation in collisions and particle decays

Guidance:

• Applications will involve relativistic decays such as calculating the wavelengths of photons in the decay of a moving pion 
• The symbol m ₀ refers to the invariant rest mass of a particle
• The concept of a relativistic mass that varies with speed will not be used
• Problems will be limited to one dimension

Data booklet reference:

Theory of knowledge:

• In what ways do laws in the natural sciences differ from laws in economics?

Utilization:

• The laws of relativistic mechanics are routinely used in order to manage the operation of nuclear power plants, particle accelerators and particle detectors

Aims:

• Aim 4: relativistic mechanics synthesizes knowledge on the behaviour of matter at speeds close to the speed of light
• Aim 9: the theory of relativity imposes one severe limitation: nothing can exceed the speed of light

Directly related questions

• 18M.3.HL.TZ2.6b.ii: The diagram shows the paths of the incident protons together with the proton and neutron created...
• 18M.3.HL.TZ2.6b.i: Determine, in terms of MeV c–1, the momentum of the pion.
• 18M.3.HL.TZ2.6a: Calculate the gamma (γ) factor for one of the protons.
• 18M.3.HL.TZ1.6b: State the rest mass of the pion with an appropriate unit.
• 18M.3.HL.TZ1.6a.ii: show that the energy of the pion is about 140 MeV.
• 17N.3.HL.TZ0.7b: Determine, using your answer to (a), the initial speed of the \({\Lambda ^0}\) particle.
• 17N.3.HL.TZ0.7a: Determine the rest mass of the \({\Lambda ^0}\) particle.
• 17M.3.HL.TZ2.6: A lambda \(\Lambda \)0 particle at rest decays into a proton p and a pion \({\pi ^ - }\)...
• 17M.3.HL.TZ1.5b: The proton collides with an antiproton moving with the same speed in the opposite direction. As a...
• 17M.3.HL.TZ1.5a: Calculate the potential difference V.
• 16N.3.HL.TZ0.8c: Calculate the energy and the momentum for each photon after the collision.
• 16N.3.HL.TZ0.8b: Determine the speed of the incoming electron.
• 16N.3.HL.TZ0.8a: Explain, in terms of a conservation law, why two photons need to be created.
• 16M.3.HL.TZ0.5b: The electron is detected at a distance of 0.800 m from the emitting nucleus as measured in the...
• 16M.3.HL.TZ0.5a: Show that the speed of the electron is about 0.98c.
• 15M.3.HL.TZ1.15a: Calculate the speed of an electron when its total energy is equal to five times its rest mass...
• 15M.3.HL.TZ1.15b: The electron is accelerated from rest through a potential difference V. The graph shows how the...
• 15M.3.HL.TZ2.16a: total energy.
• 15M.3.HL.TZ2.16b: momentum.
• 15M.3.HL.TZ2.16c: speed.
• 15N.3.HL.TZ0.13a.i: Using the grid, sketch a graph showing how the energy of the kaon increases with speed.
• 15N.3.HL.TZ0.13a.ii: The kaon is accelerated from rest through a potential difference so that its energy becomes three...
• 15N.3.HL.TZ0.13b: The neutral kaon is unstable and one of its possible modes of decay...
• 14M.3.HL.TZ1.16: This question is about relativistic dynamics. A proton is accelerated from rest through a...
• 14N.3.HL.TZ0.19b.iii: Determine the frequency of one of the photons.
• 14N.3.HL.TZ0.19b.i: Calculate the total energy in the reaction.
• 14N.3.HL.TZ0.19b.ii: Outline why two photons must be released in this collision.
• 14M.3.HL.TZ2.16a: (i)     Show that the initial momentum of the pion is...
• 14M.3.HL.TZ2.16b: The pion \(({\pi ^ + })\) emits a muon in the same direction as the velocity of the pion. The...
• 13M.3.HL.TZ1.15a: A proton is accelerated from rest by a potential difference V and reaches a speed of 2.5×108 m...
• 13M.3.HL.TZ2.17a: Calculate the value of V.
• 13M.3.HL.TZ2.18b: Calculate the speed of the proton after acceleration.
• 12M.3.HL.TZ1.12b: In another experiment, a neutral pion moving at 0.80c relative to a laboratory decayed into two...
• 11M.3.HL.TZ2.15a: Calculate the potential difference through which a proton, starting from rest, must be...
• 11M.3.HL.TZ2.15b: Calculate the momentum of the proton after acceleration.
• 11N.3.HL.TZ0.13a: A proton is accelerated from rest through a potential difference V. The proton reaches a speed of...
• 11N.3.HL.TZ0.13b: Calculate, after acceleration for the proton in (a), its (i) mass. (ii) momentum.
• 12M.3.HL.TZ2.15b: Determine, using data from the graph, the potential difference required to accelerate...
• 12M.3.HL.TZ2.15a: The graph shows the variation with the fraction \(\frac{v}{c}\), of the kinetic energy EK of a...
• 12M.3.HL.TZ2.16a: Show that the speed v of a particle of total energy E and momentum p is given by the following...
• 12N.3.HL.TZ0.16b: In a thought experiment, two particles X and Y, each of rest mass 380 MeVc–2, are approaching...
• 12M.3.HL.TZ2.16b: Determine, using the answer in (a), the speed of a particle whose rest mass is zero.
• 13N.3.HL.TZ0.13b: For the proton in (a) calculate, after acceleration, its (i) speed. (ii) momentum.
• 13N.3.HL.TZ0.13a: A proton is accelerated from rest through a potential difference V. After acceleration the mass...
• 11M.3.HL.TZ1.17c: The rest mass of rocket 1 is 1.0×103kg. Determine the relativistic kinetic energy of rocket 1, as...
• 10N.3.HL.TZ0.H2a: Calculate, immediately after the decay, the magnitude of the momentum of the electron.
• 10N.3.HL.TZ0.H2b: Calculate the value \(V\) of the potential difference through which an electron at rest must be...