Start learning →

Alberta Diploma Exams Special Relativity — practice questions

Explore 16 free Special Relativity questions in Alberta Diploma Exams Physics. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

Practise Special Relativity with Quill →

Special Relativity questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–16 of 16.

What is the first of Einstein's two postulates of special relativity?Read the answer and worked solution →What is an inertial reference frame?Read the answer and worked solution →The sun is 1.50 x 10^8 km from Earth. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, how long does light take to travel from the sun to Earth?Read the answer and worked solution →Light travels through 1.00 m of water in 4.42 x 10^-9 s. What is the speed of light in water?Read the answer and worked solution →An astronaut on the moon receives a radio signal from Earth that takes 1.28 s to arrive. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, what is the distance from Earth to the moon?Read the answer and worked solution →How far does light travel in 1.00 minute? Use c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s.Read the answer and worked solution →What is time dilation?Read the answer and worked solution →What happens to relativistic momentum, p = gamma m u, as an object's speed u approaches the speed of light c?Read the answer and worked solution →How has time dilation been experimentally confirmed?Read the answer and worked solution →A spaceship has a proper length of 50 m. As it flies past Earth at 0.95c, what length would an Earth-based observer measure for the ship?Read the answer and worked solution →A rod has a proper length of 100 m. An observer moving relative to the rod at 0.80c measures its length. What length does that observer measure?Read the answer and worked solution →What is the rest energy, E0, of an object with a mass of 1.00 g? Use c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s.Read the answer and worked solution →The nucleus of fluorine-18 has a mass defect of 2.44 x 10^-28 kg. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, what is its binding energy?Read the answer and worked solution →Deuterium has a binding energy of 3.56 x 10^-13 J. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, what is its mass defect?Read the answer and worked solution →In the RHIC collider, gold ions are accelerated to about 99.7 percent of the speed of light. What is the resulting relativistic factor gamma?Read the answer and worked solution →Knock out the false light claimsRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

What is the first of Einstein's two postulates of special relativity?

  1. The speed of light doubles for a moving source
  2. Mass increases without limit at rest
  3. Time is identical for every observer everywhere
  4. Laws of physics are the same in every frame
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: D. Laws of physics are the same in every frame

1. Einstein began the theory of special relativity with two postulates. 2. The first postulate states that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial reference frames. 3. The speed of light does not double for a moving source, and mass at rest does not increase without limit. 4. Time is not identical for every observer once relative motion is involved, which is the opposite of a founding postulate. 5. So the same laws of physics in all inertial frames is correct. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 "Special Relativity", section 10.1 Postulates of Special Relativity_

Open this question →

What is an inertial reference frame?

  1. A frame that is always accelerating uniformly
  2. A frame fixed only to the surface of the sun
  3. A frame where light always travels in circles
  4. Objects there follow Newton's first law of motion
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: D. Objects there follow Newton's first law of motion

1. An inertial reference frame is one where all objects follow Newton's first law of motion. 2. In such a frame, an object at rest stays at rest, and a moving object keeps moving at constant velocity unless a force acts on it. 3. A frame that is always accelerating would not satisfy this condition, so it is not inertial. 4. Being fixed to the sun or making light travel in circles are not part of this definition. 5. So a frame following Newton's first law is correct. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 "Special Relativity", section 10.1 Postulates of Special Relativity_

Open this question →

The sun is 1.50 x 10^8 km from Earth. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, how long does light take to travel from the sun to Earth?

  1. 50.0 s
  2. 125 s
  3. 500 s
  4. 1500 s
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: C. 500 s

1. Time equals distance divided by speed, t = d divided by v. 2. Convert the distance to metres: 1.50 x 10^8 km equals 1.50 x 10^11 m. 3. Divide by the speed of light: t = 1.50 x 10^11 divided by 3.00 x 10^8. 4. Dividing gives t = 500 s, which is 8 minutes and 20 seconds. 5. 50.0 s and 125 s are too small, and 1500 s is three times too large. 6. So 500 s is correct. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 "Special Relativity", section 10.1 Postulates of Special Relativity_

Open this question →

How to practise

  1. Choose a Special Relativity question and try to work out your answer.
  2. Open the question to check the correct answer and read its worked solution.
  3. Continue in the app for bite-sized lessons, explanations and review with Quill. You can start without creating an account.

More Physics topics

The AtomPostulates of Special RelativityNuclear Fission and FusionNuclear Forces and RadioactivityHalf Life and Radiometric Dating