How Long to Reach Speed of Light?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving the acceleration of a spaceship from rest, described by a specific rate function. Participants are tasked with calculating the time required to reach the speed of light, utilizing integration techniques.

Discussion Character

  • Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to integrate the acceleration function to find the time to reach the speed of light. Some participants suggest reconsidering the integration approach, specifically questioning the use of integration by parts and proposing a simpler substitution instead.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing guidance on integration techniques and clarifying the original poster's approach. There is an acknowledgment of a misunderstanding regarding integration by parts, and suggestions are made to simplify the integral.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of a homework problem, which may impose specific requirements for the solution process. The original poster's approach and assumptions are being scrutinized for accuracy and clarity.

JakePearson
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if a spaceship accelerates, from restat time t = 0, at a rate of 2t / sqrt(1 + t^2) m/s at time t, calculate in years to 1 significant figure how long it would take to reach the speed of light?

my attempt

speed of light = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s
integrate the rate function 2t / sqrt(1 + t^2) from t = 0, to the t we are looking for

integrating 2t / sqrt(1 + t^2)

using integration by parts;

let u = 1 + t^2, then du = 2t dt

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE
 
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Before you go at an integral using integration by parts, you should always see if a simpler substitution will work. What you have shown is exactly the substitution I would use (your work does not show that you are doing integration by parts).

Using this substitution, what does your new integral look like?
 
JakePearson said:
if a spaceship accelerates, from restat time t = 0, at a rate of 2t / sqrt(1 + t^2) m/s at time t, calculate in years to 1 significant figure how long it would take to reach the speed of light?

my attempt

speed of light = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s
integrate the rate function 2t / sqrt(1 + t^2) from t = 0, to the t we are looking for

integrating 2t / sqrt(1 + t^2)

using integration by parts;

let u = 1 + t^2, then du = 2t dt

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE

That is NOT "integration by parts". Perhaps you should review that.
You want to integrate
[tex]\int \frac{2t dt}{\sqrt{1+ t^2}}[/tex]
and you say [itex]u= 1+ t^2[/itex] and [itex]du= 2tdt[/itex]. Okay, doesn't it make sense to replace the "2tdt" in the integral by du and the "[itex]1+ t^2[/itex] in the integral by u?
You might want to remember that [itex]1/\sqrt{a}= a^{-1/2}[/itex].
 
cheers, my mistake
 

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