AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Engineering
Math & Physics Department
2026 Quantum Physics
Problem Set 1
Mass, Energy, & Momentum in Relativity
Constants in SI units: Electron charge (e) = 1.6×10-19, Electron rest mass (mo) = 9.1×10-31,
Speed of light = 3108, Planck’s constant (h) = 6.6210-34
Part I: problems
1. Calculate the velocity of an electron whose energy is 2 MeV.
2. An electron is accelerated through a potential difference of 105 V.
(a) What is the kinetic energy of the electron?
(b) Calculate the electron’s speed.
3. Calculate the mass of the electron when it is moving with a K.E. of 10MeV.
4. Calculate the momentum of 1 MeV electron.
5. A particle has a total energy of 6 × 103 MeV and a momentum of 3 × 103 MeV/c. What is its
rest mass?
6. A particle of rest mass (mo = 2.4×10-28 kg) travels at a speed of (0.8c).
(a) Calculate its kinetic energy using the relativistic and the classical approaches.
(b) If this body is transformed by decay into electromagnetic radiation, how much energy is
released.
7. The speed of a particle increases by a factor of (100) from (0.0098c) to (0.98c). By what
factors do its momentum and kinetic energy increase?
8. Two identical bodies, each with rest mass 𝑚0 , approach each other with equal velocities v
collide, and stick together in a perfectly inelastic collision. Determine the rest mass of the
composite body.
MASS, ENERGY; MOMENTUM IN RELATIVITY 1
9. A particle of rest mass 𝑚0 moving with a speed 0.8c makes a completely inelastic collision
with a particle of rest mass 3𝑚0 that is initially at rest. What is the rest mass of the resulting
single body?
𝜕𝐾𝐸
10. Prove that the velocity of a particle is related to its KE and momentum by 𝑣 = for any
𝜕𝑝
motion described classically or relativistically.
1
11. Show that relativistic KE= (m – mo)c2 reduces to nonrelativistic KE = 2 mov2 when v is very
much smaller than c. [(1- x)n (1- nx) if x<< 1]
12. Prove that a free electron at rest cannot capture or absorb a photon.
13. Solar energy reaches the earth at the rate of about 1.4 kW
per square meter of surface perpendicular to the direction of
the sun. By how much does the mass of the sun decrease per
second owing to this energy loss? The mean radius of the
earth’s orbit is 1.5×1011 m.
Part II: State whether the following statements are true or false, and if false
state the reason:
1. In modern physics, any value of the speed of a particle is possible.
2. As the speed of the particle increases, its rest mass increases.
3. A massless particle has zero momentum.
4. A particle moves at a speed (𝑣 = 0.5𝑐). Its kinetic energy is found higher when
calculated using the relativistic relation than when using the classical relation.
5. Classical physics was sufficient to explain phenomena like the gravitational lens.
Part III: MATLAB exercise (Optional)
a) Write a Matlab code to plot the ratio of the relativistic mass to the rest mass of an
electron (𝑚/𝑚𝑜 ), the electron momentum and the electron kinetic energy vs the ratio of
the electron speed to the speed of light (0 < 𝑣/𝑐 < 1), in three separate figures.
b) Solve problem (10) using Matlab.
MASS, ENERGY; MOMENTUM IN RELATIVITY 2