2006-08-10 13:15:37 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
TIME=DISTANCE/VELOCITY
In this case your distance is 4 light years. Some big number.
As you get nearer the speed of light the time to travel this distance will appear to approach 4.3 years.
However, the theory of relativity tells us that as you and your space ship approach the speed of light your mass increases, the distance decreases, the time slows down -in fact if you could get to the speed of light you would perceive the time of the trip to be instantaneous.
Now, we would need to try out some other calculations. What if we made it to 99% of c? or 90% of c what would that do to the time taken by the traveller and the time observed by an outside observer? Well in that case the traveller would not perceive the trip as taking 0 time, but, something a bit longer, but not as long as what the outside observer would measure.
Then we should confuse this some more by estimating how long it would take to accelerate to some reasonable speed close to c and how long to decellerate back to zero velocity and factor all that in since I assume you are not planning to go that far without stopping to have a look or at least stopping to turn around!
2006-08-10 13:55:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time is a funny thing...and in this case its irrelevant. If you were a photon travelling at the speed of light, you would in fact NOT take 4.3 years to travel 4.3 light years... (according to your reference frame at least). For the rest of the universe yes...4.3 years would pass. But to you...the photon. The trip would be instantaneous and the actual distance would be seem to be zero... But how can that be you ask??? This is special relativity...the basis of which operates on the principle that as you approach the speed of light time slows down and distances shrink... Therefore at exactly the speed of light time would not pass and the distance would be zero
2006-08-10 21:14:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it's a trick question because it doesn't say at what speed, but a light year is the amount of time it takes for light to travel in one year, which equals 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers.
But, for times sake, let's suppose the speed we were traveling was at the speed of light, it would take 4.3 years to arrive at our destination. This is unless, of course, we can figure out how to bend the space-time continuum in order to reach point B from point A in much less time.
2006-08-10 20:26:46 · answer #3 · answered by Velociraptor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there were an actual road travelling from the sun to Proxima Centauri, I'd say about 10,516,345,589 days, or 28,972,800 years, on a car travelling at 100 mph, considering that the car doesn't run out of fuel and can travel all that distance.. On a rocket travelling at 19,000 mph, it would take about 55,349,187 days, or about 151,541 years. On a light particle, it would take 4.3 years...
...yes, I know that you're talking about going from the sun to Proxima Centauri.
2006-08-10 21:20:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If we could travel in space with the speed of light maybe 4.3 years.
2006-08-12 11:10:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If driving in a 1979 GMC Heavy Half Pickup at 55 MPH it would take 53,549,190 years, 195 days, 10 hours, 54 minuets, 32.7 seconds. Not taking into accound for rest and other stuff. If you were walking at 3 miles per hour it would take 18 and 1/3 times longer than that.
2006-08-11 01:47:34 · answer #6 · answered by jimdan2000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends at what speed you're traveling at and if you know how to get to the point that is 4.3 light-years. It will take several years.
2006-08-10 20:24:15 · answer #7 · answered by aximili12hp 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To travail there would take a lifetime (metaphorically), to travel there the fastest that any human craft has gone (153,000 mph)would take about 17,000 years.
4.3 years x 6,000,000,000,000 miles (light year)
divide answer by 153,000,
divide by 365 and then by 24, that's your answer (maybe18,000 but it's not exact)
2006-08-10 20:23:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shouldn't be any surprise to you that it depends on how fast you're moving. If you could move at the speed of light--which you can't do--it would take 4.3 years.
2006-08-10 20:40:48 · answer #9 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I could be so wrong about this, but I think that it is something like 10,000,000,000,000,000 years. All I know is that it's the time it takes light from the sun to hit the Earth. So take 4.3 x that number and that would be your answer. Go to www.nasa.gov or www.discoverychannel.com and maybe you could get the answer.
If I'm wrong. Sorry...
2006-08-10 20:23:32 · answer #10 · answered by brittme 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋