Relativistic Uniform Accelerated Motion

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the distance traveled by a particle under uniform acceleration equal to Earth's gravity over 1, 10, and 100 years of proper time. The participant has used the derived equations for position but finds that the results for 10 and 100 years yield distances exceeding 10 and 100 lightyears, which raises concerns about exceeding the speed of light. There is a suggestion that proper time should be calculated using the first equation before substituting it into the second equation. It is noted that while the particle can theoretically cover these distances in the observer's frame, time dilation must be considered, as the traveler experiences significantly less time. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the implications of relativistic effects on distance and time.
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Homework Statement


Hi I am supposed to calculate the distance traveled by a particle that is uniformly accelerated with acceleration equal to the Earth's gravity (i.e. a=9.81m/s^2) after 1, 10 and 100 years proper time.

Homework Equations


We derived in class the four vector which describes the position of the particle:
t(s)=\frac{c}{a}sinh\left(\frac{as}{c}\right)
x(s)=\frac{c^2}{a}cosh\left(\frac{as}{c}\right)

The Attempt at a Solution


So far all I did was to substitute in the second equation the values of 1,10,100years. The first result is reasonably since it yields 0.6 lightyears. However the other results yield values which are way above 10 lightyears and 100 lightyears respectively. This can't be possible, because the particle can never exceed the speed of light. So I should get a value which is below 10 and 100 light years.
I am wondering whether I have to do something else. Do I have to find the proper time s through the first equation and then substitute that value in the second equation?
 
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It does not have to exceed the speed of light to travel over 10 lightyears in 10 years of proper time. If you have something moving close to the speed of light, it will move essentially 10 lightyears in 10 of your years. However, time dilation means that essentially no time will have elapsed for the traveller.

Edit: Of course, these 10 light years are in the frame of an external observer in an inertial frame.
 
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