If the kinetic energy of a free particle is much greater than its rest energy then its kinetic energy is proportional to:
A)the magnitude of its momentum
B)the square of the magnitude of its momentum
C)the square root of the magnitude of its momentum
D)the reciprocal of the magnitude of its momentum
E)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the kinetic energy of a free particle is much greater than its rest energy, it implies relativistic conditions. Under these conditions, the kinetic energy (K) is directly proportional to the magnitude of its momentum (p), following the relativistic relationship $K \approx pc$ for very high energies, where $c$ is the speed of light. This simplifies to a linear relationship between kinetic energy and momentum magnitude, rather than a quadratic or other relationship.

If the Kinetic Energy of a Free Particle Is Much