Speed of ship as fraction of speed of light

In summary, Jane travels to the star Vega at a constant velocity v on her twenty-fifth birthday and reaches the Vega system at age 31. The distance to Vega is 25.3 light years and the question asks for the speed of her ship as a fraction of the speed of light. After multiple attempts, the solution is found by considering time dilation and the difference in the rate of time passage in the ship compared to Earth and Vega.
  • #1
Dannya
3
0

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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  • #2
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.
 
  • #3
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.
 

1. What is the speed of light and why is it important?

The speed of light is the fastest possible speed that energy, information, or matter can travel in a vacuum. It is an important concept in physics as it serves as a fundamental constant in many theories and equations.

2. How fast can a ship travel as a fraction of the speed of light?

According to the theory of relativity, the maximum speed of a ship is limited to 99.99999999999999999999951% of the speed of light, or approximately 299,792,457.9999998 meters per second. This means that for every second the ship travels, it covers 299,792,457.9999998 meters.

3. What is the significance of traveling at the speed of light?

Traveling at the speed of light would have significant implications for space exploration and travel. It would allow us to reach distant planets and stars in a relatively short amount of time, and could potentially open up new possibilities for interstellar travel.

4. How does the speed of a ship as a fraction of the speed of light affect time dilation?

The closer a ship travels to the speed of light, the more time slows down for the passengers on board. This phenomenon is known as time dilation and is a consequence of the theory of relativity. As the ship approaches the speed of light, time would appear to pass slower for those on board compared to an outside observer.

5. Can a ship actually reach the speed of light?

According to our current understanding of physics, it is impossible for a ship to reach the speed of light. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases infinitely and would require an infinite amount of energy to continue accelerating. This makes it physically impossible to reach the speed of light.

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