P5 2

The Laziest Student and Their Relativistic Pen

Abstract

In this paper we will examine the hypothetical problem of how late a student could leave their
studying for an entire MPhys degree at the University of Leicester, if they were in possession of
a pen able to write at relativistic speeds. After accounting for time dilation, we find that a pen
moving just fast enough for relativistic effects to be apparent (v = 0.5c), would be observed to
take an estimated 7.31 × 10^-4 s to write notes on the entire degree.