1.I.4G

Special Relativity | Part IB, 2005

The four-velocity UμU_{\mu} of a particle of rest mass mm is defined by Uμ=dxμ/dτU_{\mu}=d x_{\mu} / d \tau, where τ\tau is the proper time (the time as measured in the particle's rest frame). Derive the expression for each of the four components of UμU_{\mu} in terms of the components of the three-velocity and the speed of light, cc.

Show that UU=c2U \cdot U=c^{2} for an appropriately defined scalar product.

The four-momentum, pμ=mUμp_{\mu}=m U_{\mu}, of a particle of rest mass mm defines a relativistic generalisation of energy and momentum. Show that the standard non-relativistic expressions for the momentum and kinetic energy of a particle with mass mm travelling with velocity vv are obtained in the limit v/c1v / c \ll 1. Show also how the concept of a rest energy equal to mc2m c^{2} emerges.

Typos? Please submit corrections to this page on GitHub.