Problems are listed in approximate order of difficulty. A single dot (•) indicates straightforward problems involving just one main concept and sometimes requiring no more than substitution of numbers in the appropriate formula. Two dots (••) identify problems that are slightly more challenging and usually involve more than one concept. Three dots (•••) indicate problems that are distinctly more challenging, either because they are intrinsically difficult or involve lengthy calculations. Needless to say, these distinctions are hard to draw and are only approximate.
• Compton showed that an individual photon carries momentum, p = E/c, as well as energy, E. This momentum manifests itself in the radiation pressure felt by bodies exposed to bright light, as the following problem illustrates: A 100-W beam of light shines for 1000 s on a 1-g black object initially at rest in a frictionless environment. The object absorbs all the light of the beam, (a) Calculate the total energy and momentum of the photons absorbed by the blackbody. (b) Use conservation of momentum to find the body’s final velocity, (c) Calculate the body’s final kinetic energy; explain how this can be less than the original energy of the photons.
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