Physics - Special Topics in Special Relativity

WORK O' THE DAY:

Mu mesons are particles that are created when high energy cosmic rays collide with particles way, way up in Earth's atmosphere. They typically travel at very relativistic speeds (~.98c)

Let's say you are newly created mu meson zipping your way towards Earth. You know you have LOTS of time (???) before you decay into, well, some other sorts of particles and you are enjoying the trip down towards Earth in the meantime.

All of a sudden SPLAT, you collide with Earth. During the collusion you suddenly realize you forgot to take..... *what* into consideration?

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Use gamma to determine your spaceship's speed such that 100 years would pass on Earth and yet only a single year would pass on your space ship <remember our song?>

Relativity kind of monkey's with this, well, MORE than kinda-- however it really doesn't kick in substantially until we start getting REALLY close to the speed of light.

It turns out gamma is used to determine how an object's weight changes and how an object's length changes (in the direction of motion? <check that!>) as it reaches relativistic speeds

HERE's an interesting tidbit (well, alot more than that!)