Question 1

You are traveling in a space ship at half the speed of light (0.5c) directly toward an oncoming photon traveling at the speed of light (c). At what speed would you see the photon coming toward you?

Accepted Answer

According to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is constant for all observers and does not change based on the motion of the source or the observer. Therefore, regardless of the speed of the spaceship, the photon would appear to be traveling at the speed of light (c) towards the observer. Thus, the correct answer is A) c.

Question 2

The theory of relativity predicts that everything in the universe

Accepted Answer

The answer of The theory of relativity predicts that everything...

Question 3

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed mass be compared to its mass at rest?

Accepted Answer

According to the theory of relativity, as an object's speed approaches the speed of light, its mass increases relative to its rest mass. This is due to the relativistic effect of mass-energy equivalence.

Question 4

One piece of evidence that proves that the speed of light is indeed constant comes from the observation

Accepted Answer

If the speed of light were not constant, then the light from the stars in a binary system would appear to move with different speeds when the stars are moving towards or away from us, causing them to blur and no longer appear as distinct points of light. The fact that they still appear as distinct points of light suggests that the speed of light is constant.

Question 5

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed rate of decay be compared to its rate of decay at rest?

Accepted Answer

According to special relativity, time passes more slowly for a moving object relative to a stationary one. This effect is known as time dilation. As the isotope approaches the speed of light, its observed rate of decay will be slower compared to its rate of decay at rest. Therefore, option B is correct.

Question 6

The idea that other civilizations are waiting for us to reach a certain technological level before revealing themselves to us is referred to as the

Accepted Answer

The given idea is referred to as the sentinel hypothesis, which suggests that other civilizations may have placed probes or sentinels to observe and monitor us until we reach a certain level of technological advancement before revealing themselves to us. The other choices (conspiracy hypothesis and UFO hypothesis) are not relevant to this idea, and the zoo hypothesis suggests that other civilizations may be observing us but have no intention of revealing themselves to us.

Quiz 13: Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

You are traveling in a space ship at half the speed of light (0.5c) directly toward an oncoming photon traveling at the speed of light (c) . At what speed would you see the photon coming toward you?

The theory of relativity predicts that everything in the universe

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed mass be compared to its mass at rest?

One piece of evidence that proves that the speed of light is indeed constant comes from the observation

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed rate of decay be compared to its rate of decay at rest?

The idea that other civilizations are waiting for us to reach a certain technological level before revealing themselves to us is referred to as the