Question: Muons are elementary particles that are formed high in the atmosphere by the interactions of cosmic rays with atomic nuclei up there. Muons are radioactive

Muons are elementary particles that are formed high in the atmosphere by the interactions of cosmic rays with atomic nuclei up there. Muons are radioactive and have average lifetimes of about two-millionths of a second. Even though they travel at almost the speed of light, very few should be detected at sea level after traveling through the atmosphere-at least according to classical physics. Laboratory measurements, however, show that muons in great number do reach Earth's surface. What is the explanation?

Step by Step Solution

★★★★★

3.45 Rating (164 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer

Step: 1 Unlock

At 0995 c the muon has ten times as much time or twentymillionths of a seco... View full answer

Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock

Step: 3 Unlock

Document Format (1 attachment)

848-P-MP-R (684).docx

120 KBs Word File

Students Have Also Explored These Related Modern Physics Questions!

(a) Show that the ground-state energy of the hydrogen atom can be written E1 = ke2 /(2a0), where a0 is the Bohr radius. (b) Explain why, according to classical physics, an electron with energy E1...

The human retina has three types of receptor cones, each sensitive to a different range of wavelengths of visible light, as shown in this figure (the colors are merely to differentiate the three...

Why Are We Bombarded by Muons? Muons are unstable subatomic particles that decay to electrons with a mean lifetime of 22p.s. They are produced when cosmic rays bombard the upper atmosphere about 10km...

Cosmic rays and the cloud chamber The cloud chamber was the first tool physicists had that enabled them to see the elementary particles that resulted from radioactive decay. It is a fundamentally...

Gamma rays were first observed by the to detect defects in casts, molds, and metal French chemist Paul Villard (1860-1934) sheets. It can also be used as a thickness in 1900 when he was investigating...

Date: Special Relativity Extra Questions 1/ - A beam of unknown elementary particles travels at a speed of 2.0 x 10 m/s. When the particles are moving at this speed, their average lifetime is found...

Confirming Evidence of Time Dilation The Mount Washington Mu-Meson(Muon) Experiment Watch the video of the Experiment: Video Link: Mu-Meson Experiment The muon is an elementary radioactive particle...

Confirming Evidence of Time Dilation The Mount Washington Mu-Meson(Muon) Experiment Watch the video of the Experiment: Video Link Mu-Meton Experiment The muon is an elementary radioactive particle...

Watch the video of the Experiment: Video Link: MuMeson Experiment The muon is an elementary radioactive particle created when cosmic rays crash into the upper atmosphere of the earth. It has a...

In 1798, the English scientist Henry Cavendish measured the density of the earth several times by careful work with a torsion balance. The variable recorded was the density of the earth as a multiple...

Suppose Suncor Energy has outstanding longterm bonds with a face value of $1,000, a 10 coupon rate, 25 years remaining until maturity, and a current market value of $1,21482 If Suncor Energy pays...

n = 6, p = 0.4. Find the expectation, variance, and mode for binomial random variables with the above parameter.

In the United States thirty years ago, banks Blank _ _ _ _ _ _ ; today they Blank _ _ _ _ _ _ . Multiple choice question. were heavily regulated; had almost no regulations applied to them had almost...

9. Repeat Exercise 8, using the S chart in place of the R chart.

Initially the system of objects shown in Figure P5.61 is held motionless. All surfaces, pulley, and wheels are frictionless. Let the force F is zero and assume that m2 can move only vertically. At...

As an astronaut, you observe a small planet to be spherical. After landing on the planet, you set off, walking always straight ahead, and find yourself returning to your spacecraft from the opposite...

One block of mass 5.00 kg sits on top of a second rectangular block of mass 15.0 kg, which in turn is on a horizontal table. The coefficients of friction between the two blocks are s = 0.300 and k =...

PC Shopping Network may upgrade its modem pool. It last upgraded 2 years ago, when it spent $140 million on equipment with an assumed life of 5 years and an assumed salvage value of $20 million for...

( Yield to maturity ) Fitzgerald's 1 5 - year bonds pay 8 percent interest annually on a $ 1 , 0 0 0 par value. If the bonds sell at $ 8 9 5 , what is the bond's yield to maturity? What would be the...

in java pogramming 2/ Algorithms on 2D Arrays - 10 points We call a 2D array full if all of its rows have the same number of elements. When a 2D array is not full, we call it jagged or ragged. Now,...