Question
Suppose a $W^-$ created in a bubble chamber lives for $5.00\times 10^{-25}\textrm{ s}$. What distance does it move in this time if it is travelling at $0.900c$? Since this distance is too short to make a track, the presence of the $W^-$ must be inferred from its decay products. Note that the time is longer than the given $W^-$ lifetime, which can be due to the statistical nature of decay or due to time dilation.
$0.135\textrm{ fm}$
Solution Video

# OpenStax College Physics Solution, Chapter 33, Problem 7 (Problems & Exercises) (0:24)

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Video Transcript

This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. A W boson travels at a speed of 0.900 times the speed of light and has a lifetime of 5.00 times 10 to the minus 25 seconds and the distance that it travels would be the product of the speed and time and so we multiply all these together substituting in this for the speed of light and we end up with 0.135 femtometers.