A student models the journey of a deep-space probe that takes exactly two years. The probe travels directly away from an observer at a constant speed of 1.5 × 107 m s-1. The student predicts that a clock stationary relative to the observer on Earth will record a time at least three days longer than an identical clock on the probe.
Comment on the student's prediction. Support your answer with a time dilation calculation.
In practice, the gravitational field of a nearby star affects the probe's trajectory, causing it to deviate from a straight-line path. Explain why this means that the theory of special relativity cannot be applied to this journey.
22 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Physics Special relativity (A-level only), covering The Michelson-Morley experiment (A-level only), Einstein's theory of special relativity (A-level only), Time dilation (A-level only), Length contraction (A-level only), and Mass and energy (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.