A spaceship, traveling at 0.100c away from a stationary space platform, launches a secondary rocket towards the station, with a speed of 0.560c relative to the spaceship. What is the speed of the
Secondary rocket relative to the space platform?
A) 0.550c
B) 0.492c
C) 0.487c
D) 0.660c
E) 0.460c

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the speed of the secondary rocket relative to the space platform, we use the relativistic velocity addition formula: $ v = \frac{u + v'}{1 + \frac{uv'}{c^2}} $, where $ u = 0.100c $ and $ v' = 0.560c $. Plugging in these values gives $ v \approx 0.487c $.

A Spaceship, Traveling at 0