Two Spaceships Are Approaching One Another, One with Speed

question 48

Multiple Choice

Two spaceships are approaching one another, one with speed and the other with speed . Neither speed is 0. Their speed of approach, according to Newtonian mechanics, is . Special relativity tells us that the speed of approach

• A) is more than the Newtonian value if each speed is more than half the speed of light.
• B) is always greater than the Newtonian value.
• C) is the same as the Newtonian value if each speed is less than half the speed of light.
• D) is always less than the Newtonian value.