Past exam of the symmetry and relativity course of the University of Oxford / 2022 / 4 / a

For constant laboratory force $\mathbf{F}$ and initial rest, integration gives three-momentum $\mathbf{p}=\mathbf{F}t$. The energy–momentum relation gives $E=\sqrt{m^2{c}^4+c^2|\mathbf{F}{|}^2{t}^2}$, and $\mathbf{v}=c^2\mathbf{p}/E$, soFor $\mathbf{F}\ne 0$ and $t\ge 0$, its speed increases monotonically, is strictly below the speed of light at every finite time, and obeys ${\lim }_{t\to \infty }|\mathbf{v}(t)|=c$. Thus $c$ is the limiting supremum, rather than a speed attained at a finite time. The degenerate case $\mathbf{F}=0$ leaves the particle at rest and does not have this limit.