Question:
How far in time (in years) would I go if I traveled one year by the speed of light?
anonymous
2011-01-22 08:15:02 UTC
How far in time (in years) would I go if I traveled one year with the speed of light?
How far in time with 1/2 the speed of light?
How far in time with 1/4 the speed of light?
How far in time with 1/10 the speed of light?
How far in time with 1/20 the speed of light?

Thank you!
Four answers:
Dude
2011-01-22 08:18:53 UTC
Here;s the formulae:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation#Overview_of_formulae
?
2011-01-22 16:51:51 UTC
It would depend on your point of view. From the point of view of an outside observer, you would travel the times you mentioned. From your internal point of view, things would be a little different.



The key is a weird little function called the Lorenz Factor.

t1 = t2 / sqrt(1- v^2/c^2)

where t1 is the relative time rate within the moving reference frame, t2 is the time rate in the outside observing reference frame, v is the speed of the moving object as measured from the outside reference frame, c is the speed of light.



When v is small, the time dilation is very small. As v gets closer to the speed of light, the time dilation gets very large indeed.



Let t2 be 1 year.

t1 = 1a / sqrt(1- v^2/c^2)



Here is a chart where v is measured in proportion to the speed of light and t is in years experienced in the outside reference frame for each of your years.

v(c) | t

0.00 | 1

No difference in the flow of time.

0.05 | 1.00125235

So at 1/20 of the speed of light, the second inside the moving reference frame is a little big longer. The reciprocal would be the rate of time flow. This would amount to 1 extra second about every 800 seconds. 1 year to you would seem like 1 year and an extra half day in the outside reference frame.

0.10 | 1.00503782

This would amount to an extra second about every 200 seconds. 1 year to you would pass as 1 year and about 2 days in the outside reference frame.

0.25 | 1.03279556

This would amount to an extra second about every 30 seconds. 1 year to you would pass as 1 year and about 12 days in the outside reference frame.

0.50 | 1.15470054

This would amount to an extra second about every 6 seconds. 1 year to you would pass as 1 year and about 2 months in the outside reference frame.

0.75 | 1.51185789

I know you didn't ask for this, but I thought it would add to the flavour. This would amount to an extra second about every 2 seconds. 1 year to you would pass as 1 year and about 6 months in the outside reference frame.

0.90 | 2.29415734

This means that the moving reference frame would experience more than 2 seconds for every second in the outside reference frame. In fact there would be an extra second about every 3/4 second. 1 year to you travelling would pass as about 2 years, 3 months in the outside reference frame.

1.00 | Infinity

The faster you go, the slower time progresses. When you reach the speed of light, time does not flow. For a photon (light particle) its existence begins and ends in the same instant, but it may have travelled millions of light years in that "instant". Even if a photon was created just after the beginning of the universe, billions of years ago, that photon would still consider the time of its creation as right now. 1 year to you would not be possible, as time does not progress inside the moving reference frame.
popovoleg70
2011-01-22 19:48:38 UTC
0.6c 5minutes equal to 1 month with about 1 year squeeze effect.(briefly 1 month).Well...Now welcome to future! Remember that there are very much such as you yet.I hope you can pick the right system.There is control too.
poornakumar b
2011-01-22 16:28:09 UTC
1 year

2 years

4 years

10 years

20 years


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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