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How can i speed up the time a little bit, just to make 2 years pass in 2 seconds.

2007-10-07 05:45:37 · 6 answers · asked by fast&furious 2 in Science & Mathematics Physics

6 answers

Actually this is possible if not feasible. Consider t = T/L(v); where L(v) = sqrt(1 - (v/c)^2), which is the so-called Lorentz transformation that dilates time passage as the velocity v of a frame (like a space ship) approaches light speed c. T is the rest time when v = 0.

Note that L(v = c) = 0; so that, at light speed, t = T/L(c) ---> infinity. Thus, to an outside observer (like someone on Earth watching the spaceship), time on board the frame traveling at v = c stops. That is, the passage of time on the ship takes forever as far as the observer on Earth is concerned. [NB: There are observational issues here, but let's just assume someone on Earth could in fact observe a spaceship going at or near light speed.]

On the other hand, time on board that space ship is passing at a normal rate T. That results because L(0) = 1 and, relative to the spaceship, the ship's passengers are not moving. And that's where the term "relativity" comes from. The velocity v is measured relative to the framework of the observer. Inside v = 0; outside v = c. It's that simple.

No let's back off just a wee bit from v = c. Let's say v = c - e; where e is some small velocity. At this slightly slower than light speed, t = T/L(v - e < c) L is just a very small number but greater than zero. Thus t >>>> T, but not infinite. This means, while time on board T passes normally for the passengers (say 2 seconds), time outside t is taking, say, two years to pass if v - e < c is just right. [You can do the math if you'd like to fiind that v needed for the 2 second to 2 year dilation. But you need to change years to seconds for unit consistency. I noticed an answer did this, but I did not check the work.]

So there you are. If you are on that space ship, only two seconds roll by for you. While on Earth, your buddies and budettes have aged two whole years.

Caveat, I said earlier this is "possible." The Theory of Relativity specifies time dilation. In fact, time dilation has been observed in the labs. But, the amount of energy required to do the two seconds for two years dilation you suggest is beyond our technological capabilities. So, although possible, your case is not feasible at this point in our technology.

[PS: The answer suggesting you'd turn to mush at such velocities assumed you'd need to accelerate to near light speed in that two seconds. Of course that's not the case. You could accelerate at a very comfortable rate over a very long time as seen from Earth. And as you approach light speed, your aging would slow down as seen from the outside. In any case v^2 = 2aS can be used to calculate how far your ship would need to go at, say, a = 9.81 m/sec^2 (1 G) to reach v = c = 300,000,000 m/sec velocity. S = 4.6 X 10^12 km = 1/2 at^2; so that t = sqrt(2S/a) = 30.6 X 10^6 seconds or about 1 year, if I've calculated correctly. That is, at a comfortable 1 G acceleration, we could reach light speed in about a year. No mush here. But the trick is maintaining that constant 1 G acceleration because the force that takes is getting bigger as the ship approaches light speed.]

2007-10-07 06:50:07 · answer #1 · answered by oldprof 7 · 0 0

A fast enough rocket ship could accelerate to almost the speed of light in a half a second, then decelerate and head back to your starting point and then come to a stop again, making the round trip in 2 seconds. If your navigation computer was accurate enough, you could set your speed so that the time dilation effect caused 2 years to go by on Earth.

This would be a dangerous plan, because A) if your velocity was too close to the speed of light by a tiny fraction, you might find that 20 years had gone by on Earth, or 200 years, and B) the acceleration needed to make the round trip in only 2 seconds would be approximately 60 million times gravity, which would squash you flatter than a piece of paper, and C) because of the incredibly high kinetic energy, the radiation you'd encounter every time your ship hit a particle of dust, or even a single atom, would kill you instantly.

However, if we're going to assume a rocket ship with unlimited fuel and unlimited acceleration, we might as well assume that it also has inertial compensators and navigation shields, like the Enterprise does.

Another way you could do it is a theoretical low-entropy envelope. The laws of thermodynamics insist that entropy must always increase but theoretically it could be slowed down. A person inside such an envelope would experience time at a slower rate, so it could be 2 years on the outside but only 2 seconds on the inside. Unfortunately, there is no known way to create such an envelope. I'm not aware that anyone has even theorized what kind of forces could create it.

Or, you could try what Eric Cartman did on South Park when he couldn't wait for a Nintendo Wii, have yourself frozen and leave instructions to be revived later. Unfortunately, no human has even been successfully frozen and revived. As far as I know, it has only been done with very small animals, like insects.

Perhaps a better plan would be to learn meditation. If you got really good at it, you could make 2 years *seem* like only 2 seconds. But even if you didn't get that good at it, maybe the meditation would help you let go of your impatience and then you wouldn't care that it takes 2 years.

2007-10-07 13:35:37 · answer #2 · answered by dogwood_lock 5 · 0 1

There are 3600*24*365 seconds in a year
So in two years there are 63072000 seconds.

You want to contract 63072000 into two seconds, so you need to dilate time by a factor of 1/31536000.

It is possible to dilate and contract time at high speeds, according to einstein. We can calculate the velocity needed for a lorentz factor of 1/31536000 by the following equation:
1/31536000 = 1/root(1-v^2/c^2)
31536000 = root(1-v^2/c^2)
31536000^2 = 1-v^2/c^2
v=.105c

You are going to have to travel at about 10.5% the speed of light. That's about 70 million miles per hour. So, if you can get yourself to move 70 million miles per hour for 2 seconds, two years will pass... and your body will become a small soupy mass on the seat.

Good luck!

2007-10-07 13:01:23 · answer #3 · answered by tsully87 3 · 0 0

A serious head injury resulting in a coma.

2007-10-07 12:48:47 · answer #4 · answered by Vila 1 · 1 1

I would say serious head injure but clearly you have already had one so try drugs.

2007-10-07 13:00:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

A scale change of 31,557,600 to 1 is a 'little bit'??

Anyway....... You can't.

Doug

2007-10-07 12:50:30 · answer #6 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1 1

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