GRE Subject Test: Physics : Energy and Momentum

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Physics

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Energy And Momentum

A relativistic particle of mass has a total energy 37 times its rest energy.  What is the momentum of the particle, in units of mc?

Possible Answers:

21

37

144

98

52

Correct answer:

37

Explanation:

The total energy of a relativistic particle is related to its rest mass energy Eo by:

\displaystyle E=\gamma E_{o}

Where gamma is related to the momentum by:

\displaystyle p=\gamma mc

Combining the equations and solving for p, we get:

\displaystyle p=\frac{E}{E_{o}}mc=37 mc

Which, in the units specified, is 37.

Example Question #2 : Energy And Momentum

A particle of mass m traveling at a relativistic speed has a momentum of 50 mc.  What is the total energy of the particle, expressed in units of the rest mass energy Eo?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 75 E_o

\displaystyle 50 E_o

\displaystyle 5\sqrt{2}E_o

\displaystyle 2500 E_o

\displaystyle 5 E_o

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 50 E_o

Explanation:

For a relativistic particle, momentum is given by:

\displaystyle p=\gamma mc

from which we can solve for gamma:

\displaystyle \gamma=\frac{p}{mc}=\frac{50 mc}{mc}=50

Total energy of a relativistic particle is given by:

\displaystyle E=\gamma E_{o}=50E_{0}

Example Question #3 : Energy And Momentum

The rest mass energy \displaystyle E_o of a particle with mass \displaystyle m is one quarter of its total energy \displaystyle E. What is the of the particle's momentum, in units of \displaystyle mc?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 15

\displaystyle 4

\displaystyle \sqrt{3}

\displaystyle \sqrt{15}

\displaystyle 3

Correct answer:

\displaystyle \sqrt{15}

Explanation:

The question tells us:

\displaystyle E=4E_{o}

Where the rest mass energy of a particle is:

\displaystyle E_{o}=mc^{2}

Using the equation for the total energy of a particle, we can substitute:

\displaystyle E=\sqrt{p^{2}c^{2}+m^{2}c^{4}}

\displaystyle 4mc^2=\sqrt{p^2c^2+m^2c^4}

Solving this for \displaystyle p, we find:

\displaystyle p=\sqrt{15m^2c^2}=\sqrt{15}\,\,mc

Which, in units of mc, gives us the correct answer.

Example Question #4 : Energy And Momentum

The relativistic momentum of a particle with mass \displaystyle m is \displaystyle 3mc.  What is the total energy \displaystyle E of the particle, given in units of the rest mass energy \displaystyle E_o?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 2E_{o}

\displaystyle 10E_{o}

\displaystyle \sqrt{2}E_{o}

\displaystyle 4E_{o}

\displaystyle \sqrt{10}E_{o}

Correct answer:

\displaystyle \sqrt{10}E_{o}

Explanation:

The total energy of a relativistic particle is given by:

\displaystyle E=\sqrt{p^2c^2+m^2c^4}

Substituting the momentum, we get:

\displaystyle E=\sqrt{9m^2c^4+m^2c^4}=\sqrt{10}mc^2

Because the rest mass energy of a particle is given by:

\displaystyle E_{o}=mc^2

The total energy is:

\displaystyle E=\sqrt{10}E_{o}

Example Question #5 : Energy And Momentum

A scientist measures the spectrum of relativistic jet emitted from a black hole. He finds that the a particular spectral line, which has a stationary wavelength of 212.5 nm, has a Doppler shifted wavelength of 643.7 nm. What is the radial velocity of the relativistic jet?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The relativistic Doppler shift equation is given by:

\displaystyle \lambda_{moving}=\frac{\sqrt{1+\beta}}{\sqrt{1-\beta}}\lambda_{stationary}

Where \displaystyle \beta is defined as:

\displaystyle \beta=\frac{v_{source}}{c}

Because the stationary wavelength is shorter than the moving wavelength, the object must be receding from the Earth, eliminating two answers.

The speed of light is approximately \displaystyle 3*10^8 \frac{m}{s}, so \displaystyle 3.2*10^8 \frac{m}{s} is not a possible answer.

Making the approximation that

\displaystyle \frac{\lambda_{m}}{\lambda_{s}}=\frac{643.7}{212.5}\approx3

Combining this with the first equation:

\displaystyle \frac{\lambda_m}{\lambda_s}=\frac{\sqrt{1+\beta}}{\sqrt{1-\beta}}=3

\displaystyle 3\sqrt{1-\beta}=\sqrt{1+\beta}

\displaystyle 9(1-\beta)=1+\beta

\displaystyle 9-9\beta=1+\beta

\displaystyle 10\beta=8,\,\,\,\beta=0.8

From beta, we can find the velocity:

\displaystyle \beta=\frac{v_{source}}{c}\rightarrow v_{source}=\beta c=(0.8)(3\times10^8 \frac{m}{s})=2.4\times10^8 \frac{m}{s}

Example Question #6 : Energy And Momentum

A particle in an accelerator has a total energy \displaystyle E=5 GeV and a relativistic momentum \displaystyle p=4 \frac{GeV}{c}. What is the rest mass of the particle, in units of \displaystyle \frac{1}{c^2} ?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 1

\displaystyle 7

\displaystyle \sqrt{2}

\displaystyle 3

\displaystyle 9

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 3

Explanation:

The total energy of a relativistic particle is given by:

\displaystyle E=\sqrt{p^2c^2+m^2c^4}

Solving for the rest mass \displaystyle m:

\displaystyle m=\frac{\sqrt{E^2-p^2c^2}}{c^2}=\frac{\sqrt{25-16}}{c^2}=\frac{3}{c^2}

Which, in the units specified, gives the answer 3.

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