Leading up to an epic battle, observers on Earth see two enemy spaceships approa

Question

Leading up to an epic battle, observers on Earth see two enemy spaceships approaching from opposite directions: a Romulan ship is approaching at a speed of 0.82c from one direction, while a Klingon ship is approaching at a speed of 0.88c from the exact opposite direction.

(a) What is the speed of the Romulan ship as seen by the Klingons in their reference frame?

(b) The Klingons fire a missile at the Earth, which observers on Earth see approaching at 0.98c

What is the speed of the missile as seen by the Klingons in their reference frame?

Explanation / Answer

a) v' = (u+v)/(1 + u v/c^2) = (0.82+0.88)/(1 + 0.82*0.88)= 0.9875 c

b)

v' = (0.98-0.88)/(1-0.98*0.88)=0.7267 c

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse L
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.