Physics › Section T · Special relativity › Topic T.5
Relativistic momentum and energy
Momentum and energy are still conserved at high speeds, but only once their definitions are corrected. The corrected versions show that mass is a form of energy and that no object with mass can ever reach the speed of light.
In this topic
- Conservation laws need repair
- Relativistic momentum
- Worked example: a fast electron's momentum
- Total energy and rest energy
- Worked example: rest energy of a gram
- Kinetic energy and the speed limit
- Worked example: a fast proton
- Energy and momentum together
- Worked example: from energy to speed
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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