Chapter 6: Q48P (page 1250)
A muon is created 55.0 km above the surface of the earth (as measured in the earth鈥檚 frame). The average lifetime of a muon, measured in its own rest frame, is and the muon we are considering has this lifetime. In the frame of the muon, the earth is moving toward the muon with a speed of . (a) In the muon鈥檚 frame, what is its initial height above the surface of the earth? (b) In the muon鈥檚 frame, how much closer does the earth get during the lifetime of the muon? What fraction is this of the muon鈥檚 original height, as measured in the muon鈥檚 frame? (c) In the earth鈥檚 frame, what is the lifetime of the muon? In the earth鈥檚 frame, how far does the muon travel during its lifetime? What fraction is this of the muon鈥檚 original height in the earth鈥檚 frame?
Short Answer
a) In the muon鈥檚 frame, its initial height above the surface of the earth is 917km .
b) The fraction of the muon鈥檚 original height, as measured in the muon鈥檚 frame is 7.1% .
c) The fraction of the muon鈥檚 original height in the earth鈥檚 frame is 7.1%