Question

In space, a stationary light source emits green light at a frequency of 5.50*10^14Hz. A spaceship approaches the light at a speed 1.50*10^17m/s. What is the frequency of the light that is perceived aboard the spaceship. (the speed of light is 3.00*10^8m/s)

A.6.08*10^14Hz
B.4.98*10^14Hz
C.5.50*10^14Hz
D.6.77*10^14Hz

Answer 1

The problem has no physical meaning, since the spaceship cannot move faster than light

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum, whose value is

`c=3.8\cdot 10^8 m/s`

However, we see that in this problem, the spaceship is supposed to travel at a speed of

`v=1.50\cdot 10^(17) m/s`

which is much larger than the value of c. This is not possible according to Einstein's theory of relativity: therefore, this problem has no physical meaning (and cannot be solved using the laws of physics as we know them, since they would violate the special relativity)