Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ia Paper 4 11A c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
At time , the accelerated proton has momentum and, by the relativistic energy-momentum relation, energyThe incident Cosmic microwave background photon adds energy . Since the final state contains only the Delta-plus baryon, conservation of relativistic energy gives its laboratory-frame Lorentz factorIts rest-frame decay time is a proper time, so time dilation gives the laboratory decay time
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 309 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The rotational Killing vector fields of the spherical symmetry conserve the angular-momentum vector. Its direction is fixed, so every nonradial orbit lies in the plane through the symmetry centre orthogonal to that vector. A spatial rotation can make this the equatorial plane. Equivalently, the initial conditions and solve the equation uniquely. This is the planarity of geodesics in spherical symmetry; a radial geodesic has zero angular momentum and may be assigned any plane.
On , the cyclic coordinates and produce geodesic conserved quantities from Killing vectors,For a timelike geodesic parametrized by proper time, the proper-time normalization is . Substitution of and gives the first-order radial equationThis is the timelike geodesic effective potential for static Anti-de Sitter spacetime with curvature radius one.
A geodesic passing through must have . If it moves away from the origin, , andTaking proper time at departure givesIt turns around at and first returns to the origin atThis energy-independent refocusing is the characteristic radial timelike geodesic in anti-de Sitter spacetime result; for curvature radius , the answer is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 1 36E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For a constant electromagnetic field tensor, the relativistic Lorentz force is a linear system with constant coefficients, so
PutThe initial four-velocity is . For parallel fields along , the field tensor has one hyperbolic block in the plane and one rotation block in the plane. With the orientation convention in the question,Taking the initial spacetime point to be the origin and integrating gives the relativistic motion in parallel electric and magnetic fieldsThe expressions have their continuous or limits when one field vanishes; reversing the sign of reverses the electric acceleration and magnetic rotation.
Eliminating proper time between the first two equations yieldsAt early coordinate time,which is uniformly accelerated motion with the transverse relativistic inertia factor . At late positive time,so the longitudinal speed approaches the speed of light.
For the pitch magnitude assume and put , , andNumber the th proper-time period as . Its longitudinal displacement isConsequently, as ,where
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ia Paper 2 12C b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
In the parent's rest frame, momentum conservation makes the massive daughter and photon momenta equal and opposite, of magnitude . The relativistic two-body decay formulas giveSince and ,The daughter's Lorentz factor isIf it decays after proper time , time dilation gives , while uniform motion gives . Therefore the event coordinates in the parent frame are
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 1 37D iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For , the only independent nonzero component of the electromagnetic field tensor isThe temporal and components of the Lorentz force show that and are constant. Taking , the transverse equations arewhere dots now denote proper time derivatives. Witha solution isDirect differentiation verifies both equations. Hence the trajectory is a relativistic cyclotron orbit with proper angular frequency ; the sign fixes its orientation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 2 37D ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 2 16D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let , let be proper time, and define the four-velocity and four-momentum byIf is the electromagnetic field tensor, the covariant Lorentz force law isThe temporal component and three spatial components respectively giveHere is the relativistic energy and is the relativistic momentum. In the nonrelativistic limit, , so the spatial equation becomesthe usual Lorentz-force law.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 309 1 a ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Write and . Varying with fixed endpoints and then choosing proper time as parameter, for which , gives the Euler-Lagrange equationExpanding the derivative, raising the free index with the inverse metric, and using the symmetry of gives the geodesic equationThese are the Christoffel symbols of the Levi-Civita connection.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 309 1 a i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The proper time elapsed along the smooth timelike curve isThe expression is invariant under every orientation-preserving reparametrization of the curve.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ia Paper 4 12B Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
With ,Differentiation with respect to proper time givesOrthogonality implies that in the instantaneous rest frame . For collinear motion a Lorentz boost givesFor constant positive proper acceleration ,This hyperbola has future null asymptote . A right-moving signal emitted from at follows ; if , it lies beyond that acceleration horizon and never intersects the worldline.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ii Paper 1 38E c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 ia Paper 4 4B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Proper time satisfies and is invariant, so differentiating by it defines a four-vector. The path is timelike iff . Its next return occurs after coordinate time , so Bob agesWith ,
and for signature .
and for signature .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 ii Paper 4 37A c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A radial timelike geodesic has conserved and normalization . Choose and the outward sign. Thenso the observer reaches in finite proper time even though static coordinate diverges.
Proper-time normalization 2026-09-24
With signature and units , parametrizing a timelike worldline by proper time makes its four-velocity satisfy .
Every maximal radial timelike geodesic in positive-mass Kruskal spacetime is incomplete in at least one direction. Its equations are and . A finite turning point is a maximum, and each trajectory reaches at one or both ends. The remaining proper time is finite because . Complete circular timelike geodesics exist, but they have nonzero angular momentum.
Relativistic cyclotron orbit 2026-09-29
In a constant magnetic field with no electric field, a charged relativistic particle moves in a circle in the perpendicular plane. Its angular frequency with respect to proper time iswhereas its angular frequency in an inertial coordinate time is . The orbit radius at speed is
Relativistic force Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
When uniform and are parallel, the relativistic Lorentz force splits into independent hyperbolic motion along the fields and circular motion in the perpendicular plane. The circle is periodic in proper time, while electric acceleration makes the helix's longitudinal pitch grow exponentially from one proper-time cyclotron period to the next.
Relativistic trajectory in a constant null crossed field Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
ChooseA particle released from rest at the origin has the proper-time trajectoryEliminating proper time gives the semicubical parabolaThis signed coefficient assumes that the positive direction is chosen along ; reversing that axis changes the signs of both and its coefficient.
Schwarzschild time 2026-10-06
Schwarzschild time is the exterior time coordinate normalized to the proper time of static observers at infinity. At fixed exterior radius, . A received signal and its emission occur at different values of this coordinate.
