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Home  Modern Physics Relativity Examples The correspondence principle for mass-energy |
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The correspondence principle for mass-energyShow that the equation E = mγc2 obeys the correspondence principle. As we accelerate an object from rest, its mass-energy becomes greater than its resting value. Classically, we interpret this excess mass-energy as the object's kinetic energy,
Expressing γ as (1 - v2/c2)-1/2 and making use of the approximation (1 + ε)p ≈ 1 + pε for small ε, we have γ ≈ 1 + v2/2c2, so
which is the classical expression. As demanded by the correspondence principle, relativity agrees with classical physics at speeds that are small compared to the speed of light.
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