Question
Which of the below was the first hint that conservation of mass and conservation of energy might need to be combined into one concept?
- The Van de Graaff generator.
- New particles showing up in accelerators.
- Yukawa's theory.
- They were always related.
Final Answer
(b)
Solution video
OpenStax College Physics for AP® Courses, Chapter 33, Problem 9 (Test Prep for AP® Courses)
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Video Transcript
This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. The question here is which one of these options was a first hint that conservation of mass and conservation of energy might need to be combined into one idea? And the answer is (b); New particles showing up in accelerators because the accelerators begin by shooting something that has not very much mass suppose gives it a lot of kinetic energy and then it will hit some target and then the pieces that will result from this collision all the fragments created by this collision the total mass of these fragments exceeds the rest mass of this particle that hit the target and so the question is where does this extra mass coming from then? And the answer is that it's coming from the energy that was imparted to this particle and so that is suggestive that mass can be created from energy and likewise, energy can be created from mass as you know from fission, fusion and so on and there we go. The answer is (b).