Bertozzi's Experiment Flashcards
(6 cards)
What key idea from special relativity did Bertozzi’s experiment provide evidence for?
It demonstrated that mass increases with speed, providing experimental evidence for Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
List the main components of Bertozzi’s experimental setup.
A particle accelerator (emitting electrons with varying kinetic energies)
Two detectors (A and B) connected to an oscilloscope
An aluminium plate connected to a temperature sensor
Describe how Bertozzi determined the speed of the electrons.
Electrons were released in pulses
The time taken for them to travel from detector A to B was measured using the oscilloscope
The distance between A and B was measured
Speed = distance / time
How did Bertozzi determine the kinetic energy of the electrons?
Electrons collided with an aluminium target, transferring kinetic energy as heat
The temperature change of the target was measured
Kinetic energy per electron was calculated using:
K.E. per electron = m * c * Δθ / n
Where:
m = mass of target
c = specific heat capacity
Δθ = temperature rise
n = number of electrons in the pulse
What did Bertozzi observe when plotting kinetic energy against speed?
The graph of kinetic energy vs speed matched the predictions of special relativity, not classical mechanics, showing that as speed increases, kinetic energy grows faster than predicted by 1/2 * m * v^2.
Why is it impossible for an object with mass to reach the speed of light?
As an object’s speed approaches c:
Its relativistic mass approaches infinity
Therefore, an infinite amount of energy would be required to reach c, which is impossible
Thus, no object with mass can reach or exceed the speed of light.
