Speed of ship as fraction of speed of light

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the speed of a spaceship traveling to Vega, which is 25.3 light years away, based on Jane's age progression from 25 to 31 during the journey. The initial attempts resulted in an incorrect speed calculation, suggesting a velocity four times the speed of light, which is impossible according to the laws of physics. Participants emphasized the importance of considering time dilation effects from special relativity, as the time experienced on the ship differs from that on Earth. After reviewing the calculations and correcting a miscalculation, the correct speed as a fraction of the speed of light was determined. The discussion highlights the significance of understanding relativistic effects in such problems.
Dannya
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Homework Statement



Jane gets in her spaceship on her twenty-fifth birthday and flies to the star Vega at a constant velocity v. She is just turning age 31 when she reaches the Vega system.

What is the speed of her ship, as a fraction of the speed of light c?

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



I have attempted this 7 times. I have 3 chances left. I found out that the distance to Vega to be 25.3 Light years and i converted that to meters and then i converted 6 years to seconds and I still could not get the right answer. I have to express the answer as a fraction of the speed of light, but i continue to get a value that is 4x the speed of light. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance
 
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Yes, look up time dilation. 4x speed of light is not an option. This course does have some content about special relativity, right? The rate of passage of time on the ship is not the same as in the rest frame of Earth and Vega.
 
i had originally did the space time interval but now that i looked back at it i did have a miscalculation. Thanks for the help! got the right answer.
 

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