In a particle accelerator, you accelerate an electron. Afterwards, you measure it's energy to be 350 keV. Tell my why you can't find the speed from this energy using your knowledge of classical mechanics.

In order to see what the problem is, I will attempt to find this speed. 350keV=5.6110-14 J Ek=1/2 * mv2 =>  v=sqrt(2Ek/m) By plugging in numbers, we find that the velocity of the electron, v=3.51108. This velocity is bigger then the speed of light c=3108, and it is a known fact that nothing can travel faster than light. This means that relativistic effects must've taken place, which prevented the particle from reaching the speed of light, but allowed it to have such a high energy.

CP
Answered by Cezar P. Physics tutor

2348 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

A 80kg man is hanging from two 1.5m ropes that lie at 60 degrees from the horizontal. What is the tension in each rope required to prevent the man from dropping?


A man weighing 600N steps on a scale that contains a spring. The spring is compressed 1cm under their weight. Find the force constant of the spring and total work done on its compression.


what is the scape velocity?


How do I derive Kepler's 3rd law using Newton's Law of gravitation, in the case of a circular orbit?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning