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Energy, Mass, Momentum: Instructor's Guide
Main Ideas
- Momentum, energy, mass behave like space, time, proper time.
- These quantities are geometrically related to each other, using hyperbolic triangle trig.
Students' Task
Estimated Time: 10 minutes, including wrap-up
Students should be asked to answer the following questions on their whiteboards:
Draw a hyperbolic triangle showing energy, mass, momentum.
Prerequisite Knowledge
- Basics of hyperbola geometry.
- Proper time, 4-velocity, 4-momentum.
Props/Equipment
- Small whiteboards with markers
Wrap-Up
- Derive the relationship E2−p2c2=m2c4.
- Point out that this relationship holds even when m=0, so that massless particles can also be analyzed this way.