Question

Muons are unstable subatomic particles that decay to electrons with a mean lifetime of 2.2 μs...

Muons are unstable subatomic particles that decay to electrons with a mean lifetime of 2.2 μs . They are produced when cosmic rays bombard the upper atmosphere about 11.1 km above the earth's surface, and they travel very close to the speed of light. The problem we want to address is why we see any of them at the earth's surface.

A. What is the greatest distance a muon could travel during its 2.2 μs lifetime?

B. According to your answer in the previous part, it would seem that muons could never make it to the ground. But the 2.2-μs lifetime is measured in the frame of the muon, and they are moving very fast. At a speed of 0.999 c, what is the mean lifetime of a muon as measured by an observer at rest on the earth?

C. How far would the muon travel in this time?

D. From the point of view of the muon, it still lives for only 2.2 μs , so how does it make it to the ground? What is the thickness of the 11.1 km of atmosphere through which the muon must travel, as measured by the muon?

Science   Physics   
0 0
Add a commentTranscribed image text
Next >

Homework Answers

Answer #1

0 0
Know the answer?
Your Answer:

Post as a guest

Your Name:

What's your source?

Earn Coins

Coins can be redeemed for fabulous gifts.

Log In

Sign Up

Not the answer you're looking for?
Ask your own homework help question
Similar Questions
Muons are unstable subatomic particles that decay with a mean lifetime of 2.197us (producing electrons and...
Muons are unstable subatomic particles that decay with a mean lifetime of 2.197us (producing electrons and neutrinos) as measured in the inertial frame of the muons. Many are produced in the upper atmosphere about 10 km above the surface of the Earth, and some of them travel very near the speed of light on their way to the surface. A) Calculate the largest distance any particle can travel in 2.197us, with both the time and the distance measured by observers...
A muon is a type of unstable subatomic particle. When high-speed particles from outer space (sometimes...
A muon is a type of unstable subatomic particle. When high-speed particles from outer space (sometimes called "cosmic rays") collide with atoms in the upper atmosphere, they can create muons which travel toward the Earth. Suppose a muon created in the atmosphere travels at a speed of 0.941c toward the Earth's surface for a distance of 3.48 km, as measured by a stationary observer on Earth, before decaying into other particles. (a) As measured by the stationary observer on Earth,...
A muon is an unstable particle whose mean lifetime is 2.2 ∙ 10-6 s as measured...
A muon is an unstable particle whose mean lifetime is 2.2 ∙ 10-6 s as measured by an observer at rest relative to the muon. A large burst of such muons is produced 6.0 km above the ground level, after which the muons move towards the surface of the Earth with a velocity 0.92?. a) What is the mean lifetime of the muons to a stationary observer on the surface of the Earth? b) What percentage of the muons reach...
Muons are elementary particles with a small mass. They are often created in the atmosphere by...
Muons are elementary particles with a small mass. They are often created in the atmosphere by cosmic ray collisions. Once the muon is created, its lifetime is only 2 microseconds (2×10−6 seconds). A typical velocity is 0.9999 c, just 0.1 % below the speed of light. Without relativity, the muons would only travel 600 meters before decaying, yet we see muons created 10 km in the air reach our instruments on the ground. a) Consider a muon created 10km above...
One of the many fundamental particles in nature is the muon mu. This particle acts very...
One of the many fundamental particles in nature is the muon mu. This particle acts very much like a "heavy electron." It has a mass of 106 MeV/c^2, compared to the electron's mass of just 0.511 MeV/c^2. (We are using E = mc^2 to obtain the mass in units of energy and the speed of light c). Unlike the electron, though, the muon has a finite lifetime, after which it decays into an electron and two very light particles called...
A muon is a subatomic particle with a mass of 1.88x10-28 kg that can be found...
A muon is a subatomic particle with a mass of 1.88x10-28 kg that can be found in cosmic rays. A certainmuon travels 60 km through earth’s atmosphere in 210 micro-secosnds as measured by an experimenter on the ground. a. What is the speed of the muon in km/s and as a fraction of c? b. How long does the journey take according to the muon? c. What is the Newtonian momentum of the muon? d. What is the relativistic momentum...
The earth's magnetic field protects us from cosmic rays, which are extremely high energy subatomic particles...
The earth's magnetic field protects us from cosmic rays, which are extremely high energy subatomic particles generated by esoteric processes in interesting parts of the universe. To get an idea of how this protection might happen, pretend the earth's magnetic field has a constant value of 5.0 x 10^-5 T (northward) from the ground to a height of 50 km. (a) For what initial speed v would a proton of charge 1.6 x 10^-19 C and mass 1.67 x 10^-27...
ADVERTISEMENT
Need Online Homework Help?

Get Answers For Free
Most questions answered within 1 hours.

Ask a Question
ADVERTISEMENT