--%>

Explain Muon experiment

Muon experiment: The experiment that demonstrates proves the prediction of time dilation by the special relativity. Muons, that are short-lived subatomic particles, are made with enormous energy in the upper environment by the interaction of energetic cosmic rays. The muons have a very short half life in their own reference frame, around 2.2 us. As they are travelling very near to c, though, time dilation effects must become significant. A naive computation would point out that, without special relativistic effects, the muons would travel on the average only around 700 m before decaying, never accomplishing the surface of the Earth. The observations reveal, though, that significant numbers of muons do reach the Earth. The elucidation is that muon is in a moving frame of reference, and therefore time is slowed down for the muons associative to the Earth, efficiently extending the half life of the muons associative to the Earth, permitting some of them to reach the surface.

   Related Questions in Physics

  • Q : Explain Gauss law for magnetic fields

    Gauss' law for magnetic fields (K.F. Gauss): The magnetic flux via a closed surface is zero (0); no magnetic charges present; in its differential form, div B = 0

  • Q : Explain Correspondence limit or

    Explain Correspondence limit or Correspondence principle? Correspondence limit (N. Bohr): The limit at which a more common theory decreases to a more specialized theory when the situations that the

  • Q : Explain Archimedes' principle What is 

    What is Archimedes' principle? A body which is submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equivalent in magnitude to the weight of the fluid which is displaced, and directed upward all along a line via the c

  • Q : Define Compton Effect Compton Effect

    Compton Effect (A.H. Compton; 1923): The effect which describes those photons (that is the quantum of electromagnetic radiation) has momentum. The photon fired at a stationary particle, like an electron, will communicate momentum to t

  • Q : What nucleons altogether in a nucleus

    Explain what does held the nucleons altogether in a nucleus?

  • Q : Velocity of the particle Determine the

    Determine the Velocity of the particle in terms of component veocities?

  • Q : Procedure to define the Specific Gravity

    Briefly explain the procedure to define the Specific Gravity?

  • Q : What is Laplace equation Laplace

    Laplace equation (P. Laplace): For the steady-state heat conduction in 1-dimension, the temperature distribution is the explanation to Laplace's equation, which defines that the second derivative of temperature with respect to displac

  • Q : Define Doppler Effect Doppler Effect

    Doppler Effect (C.J. Doppler): The waves emitted by a moving object as received by an observer will be blue shifted (compressed) when approaching, redshifted (that is, elongated) if receding. This takes place both in sound and also el

  • Q : Explain Faradays law Faraday's law (M.

    Faraday's law (M. Faraday): The line integral of the electric field about a closed curve is proportional to the instant time rate of change of the magnetic flux via a surface bounded by that closed curve; in the differential form,