Accelerator Data

The Tevatron at Fermilab gets protons at about 1 GeV and accelerates them to 1 TeV (1000 GeV). It is called an accelerator, but what else does it do?

• Do the protons go faster and faster?
• Do they get more massive?
• What happens to their momenta?
• Do all these effects happen at a constant rate?

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You can answer these questions by downloading and completing the Excel spreadsheet or html version. It is set up with 100 GeV increments of energy.

(You will need to use the relativistic equations for energy and momentum. If you do not know them or how to derive them, go here.)

• To enter a formula on the Excel worksheet, click in the correct box.
  
• Type an equal sign, the correct formula, and click the check mark.
  Here is an example of a formula that multiplies the number in box C2 by 5 x 10 ³ and divides by 2.
      =(C2*5*10^3)/2

• Then you can highlight the rest of the column and click "fill down", and it will do the same to the rest of the column, using the correct C3, C4, etc.

  Here is a tutorial for Excel beginners.

  Another Excel tutorial.

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After you have written the correct formulae:

• Compare what happens to the velocity, energy, and momentum.
• Summarize in words what the table tells you.
• Were there any surprises?

• Check yourself: Download Excel or the html version. Did you make any incorrect assumptions? (Click on the first calculated numbers in each column to see the formulae.)

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