Imagine playing golf in a world where the speed of light is only c = 3.40 m/s. Golfer A drives a ball down a fl at horizontal fairway for a distance that he measures as 75.0 m. Golfer B, riding in a cart, happens to pass by just as the ball is hit (see the figure). Golfer A stands at the tee and watches while golfer B moves down the fairway toward the ball at a constant speed of 2.80 m/s.

Concepts:
(i) Who measures the proper length of the drive, and who measures the contracted length?
(ii) Who measures the proper time interval, and who measures the dilated time interval?
Calculations:
(a) How far is the ball hit according to golfer B?
(b) According to each golfer, how much time does it take golfer B to reach the ball?
There are many astonishing consequences of special relativity, two of which are time dilation and length contraction. Problem 50 reviews these important concepts in the context of a golf game in a hypothetical world where the speed of light is only a little faster than that of a golf cart. Other important consequences of special relativity are the equivalence of mass and energy, and the dependence of kinetic energy on the total energy and on the rest energy. Problem 51 serves as a review of the roles played by mass and energy in special relativity.

Transcribed Image Text:

Golfer A Golfer B