Really TRUE odd factoids

[markemark]

So why would it take "a few years"?

The faster you travel, the more time slows down for you. The few years is depending on how close to the speed of light you are. As you reach the speed of light, you effectively have time stop for you so the time to travel anywhere becomes instantaneous. A few years would be getting very close but not reaching he speed of light.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

So why would it take "a few years"?

Do some calcs at various percentages of the speed of light, and you can work out how much time dilation occurs. Thus how much time would pass for the traveller covering 24 billion light years etc.

As an example, at 99.99999999% speed of light it would take a little under 5 years. But at 99.999999999% speed of light, it would take a little under 6 months etc. At the actual speed of light it would be instantaneous, for example a photon experiences all points along its path simultaneously.

The time dilation formula is:

Δt=γΔt0
In this equation:

• Δt is the dilated time, the time measured by the outside observer (the one who sees the object moving).
  
  
  
• Δt0 is the proper time, the time measured by the traveler themselves (the observer in the moving frame). Proper time is the shortest possible time interval between two events.
  
  
  
  
• γ is the Lorentz factor, which is always greater than or equal to 1.

 

[Punkawallah]

Do some calcs at various percentages of the speed of light, and you can work out how much time dilation occurs. Thus how much time would pass for the traveller covering 24 billion light years etc.

As an example, at 99.99999999% speed of light it would take a little under 5 years. But at 99.999999999% speed of light, it would take a little under 6 months etc. At the actual speed of light it would be instantaneous, for example a photon experiences all points along its path simultaneously.

The time dilation formula is:

Δt=γΔt0
In this equation:

• Δt is the dilated time, the time measured by the outside observer (the one who sees the object moving).
  
  
  
• Δt0 is the proper time, the time measured by the traveler themselves (the observer in the moving frame). Proper time is the shortest possible time interval between two events.
  
  
  
  
• γ is the Lorentz factor, which is always greater than or equal to 1.

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I’d imagine the obvious problem would be avoiding impromptu stops along the way. All very well hurtling along at the speed of light, only to find you’ve hit an interstellar tree that wasn’t there (SMIDSY)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’d imagine the obvious problem would be avoiding impromptu stops along the way. All very well hurtling along at the speed of light, only to find you’ve hit an interstellar tree that wasn’t there (SMIDSY)

It’s incredibly empty out there.

 

[matticus]

At the actual speed of light it would be instantaneous,

yeah, that's what I was referring to: you confused me with your "a few years" wording!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

yeah, that's what I was referring to: you confused me with your "a few years" wording!

There’s problems reaching actual light speed for anything with mass.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

So why would it take "a few years"?

Toilet stops

 

[Dave7]

Toilet stops

Why?
Why can't you just dangle it out of a porthole ?

 

[Punkawallah]

It’s incredibly empty out there.

While true, the faster you go, the smaller the things can hurt you if you hit them. You try hitting a fly at 30mph, and you’ll find out. I don’t think your insurance company will accept ‘it’s incredibly empty out there’ as an excuse.
Ironically, neither would ‘until something is observed, it doesn’t exist’.