A thrust-beam space vehicle works by bearing a sort of sail which feels the push of a strong steady laser light beam directed at it from earth. If the sail is perfectly reflecting, calculate the mass of light required to accelerated a vehicle of rest mass M0 up to a fixed value of gamma.
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What the heck is that? mass of light?
Anyway, pretending I don't recognize what 'light' is while I know it has constant speed of C, then
apply conservation of momentum: m*c+0 = -m*c+M0*gamma
The required mass of light : m = M0*gamma/(2*C)
Anyway, pretending I don't recognize what 'light' is while I know it has constant speed of C, then
apply conservation of momentum: m*c+0 = -m*c+M0*gamma
The required mass of light : m = M0*gamma/(2*C)