Past exam of the short options course of the University of Oxford / 2014 / 7 / b

Take spacetime coordinates $X=(ct,x,y,z)$. Differentiating the initial segment gives the four-velocityThe identity ${\cosh }^{2}r-{\sinh }^{2}r=1$ gives $g(U,U)=c^2$, and $dt/ds=\cosh \omega s>0$. The proper time element therefore satisfies $d{\tau }^2=g(dX,dX)/c^2=d{s}^2$, with the future orientation selecting $d\tau =ds$. Thus $s$ is proper time along this path.

Since $s$ is proper time, the four-acceleration isIts Minkowski norm squared is $g(A,A)=-c^2{\omega }^2$, so the invariant magnitude of proper acceleration isThe vector is spacelike, which accounts for the minus sign under the square root.

Differentiate each segment and express the four-velocity using a continuous rapidity:At $T$ both rapidities are $\omega T$; at $3T$ both are $-\omega T$. Hence the four-velocity is continuous at both junctions. This expression also gives $g(U,U)=c^2$ everywhere, so the parameter remains proper time on the later segments.

Away from the junctions,with ${\theta }^{\prime }$ successively $+\omega ,-\omega ,+\omega$. The rapidity is continuous but its slope reverses. Thus the four-acceleration has a finite jump to its negative at each junction, while its magnitude stays $c\omega$ on either side. There is no velocity jump; the idealized path is continuously differentiable but not twice differentiable at the switching events.