The Hydrogen Maser. A maser is a laser-type device that | StudySoup

Textbook Solutions for University Physics

Chapter 1 Problem 56P

Question

The Hydrogen Maser. You can use the radio waves generated by a hydrogen maser as a standard of frequency. The frequency of these waves is 1,420,405,751.786 hertz. (A hertz is another name for one cycle per second.) A clock controlled by a hydrogen maser is off by only 1 s in 100,000 years. For the following questions, use only three significant figures. (The large number of significant figures given for the frequency simply illustrates the remarkable accuracy to which it has been measured.)

(a) What is the time for one cycle of the radio wave?

(b) How many cycles occur in 1 h?

(c) How many cycles would have occurred during the age of the earth, which is estimated to be \(4.6 \times 10^{9}\) years?

(d) By how many seconds would a hydrogen maser clock be off after a time interval equal to the age of the earth?

Solution

Step 1 of 5

Given

The frequency of radio waves = 1,420,405,751.786 hertz

We need find the time taken for 1 cycle by radio wave 

This is obtained as 

\(\frac{1}{1420405751.786}=7.040241841 \times 10^{-7}\)

Hence time taken for 1 second is \(\text { 7. } 040241841 \times 10^{-7}\)

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full solution

Title University Physics 13 
Author Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman
ISBN 9780321675460

The Hydrogen Maser. A maser is a laser-type device that

Chapter 1 textbook questions

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