Special Relativity Practice

What is an example of something that is not in your reference frame at the moment?

• The hair on your head

• A car on Nashville Road

• The chair you are sitting in

• The desk you are at

How do you know if an object is in your reference frame?

• If it is moving at a constant speed

• If it is moving at a speed much slower than the speed of light

• If it is moving at a speed near the speed of light

• If it is not moving relative to you

When is a reference frame called “inertial?”

• All the time

• Only when it is accelerating

• Only when it is not moving

• Only when the laws of physics are valid

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1

NGSS.HS-PS2-2

Albert is sitting on a bench at the park. A man on a skateboard passes by him at a speed of +15 mph. An airplane passes by overhead at a speed of +140 mph. (The “+” indicates the positive direction). What reference frame has been used to describe this situation?

• All of these!

• Albert’s

• The skateboarder’s

• The airplane’s

Albert is sitting on a bench at the park. A man on a skateboard passes by him at a speed of +15 mph. An airplane passes by overhead at a speed of +140 mph. (The “+” indicates the positive direction.) From the skateboarder’s reference frame, how fast is the airplane going?

• +125 mph

• +140 mph

• +15 mph

• -140 mph

Albert is sitting on a bench at the park. A man on a skateboard passes by him at a speed of +15 mph. An airplane passes by overhead at a speed of +140 mph. (The “+” indicates the positive direction.) From the reference frame of the airplane, what is the speed of Albert?

• -15 mph

• 0 mph

• -140 mph

• -125 mph

Albert is sitting on a bench at the park. A man on a skateboard passes by him at a speed of +15 mph. An airplane passes by overhead at a speed of +140 mph. (The “+” indicates the positive direction.) Which of these three frames of reference are not inertial?

• All of the frames are inertial!

• Albert’s

• The skateboarder’s

• The airplane’s

Is the following reference frames “inertial” or not? A Honda Civic on cruise control and a dog lying in the grass.

• Neither of these frames is inertial.

• Both of these frames are inertial.

• One frame is inertial, the other is not.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-2

Is the following reference frames “inertial” or not? A Honda Civic on cruise control and police car travelling at a constant speed of 90mph.

• Neither of these frames is inertial.

• Both of these frames are inertial.

• One frame is inertial, the other is not.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1

NGSS.HS-PS2-2

Is the following reference frames “inertial” or not? A drag racer accelerating his dragster and a spectator sitting in the stands.

• Neither of these frames is inertial.

• Both of these frames are inertial.

• One frame is inertial, the other is not.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1