uppose human colonists embark on a journey to the nearest star from our sun on a spaceship that travels at a speed of 0.05 c . 0.05c. To the nearest integer, estimate how many generations n n will pass before the colonists arrive.
uppose human colonists embark on a journey to the nearest star from our sun on a spaceship that travels at a speed of 0.05 c . 0.05c. To the nearest integer, estimate how many generations n n will pass before the colonists arrive.
Answer:
Before the colonists arrive 3 generations will pass
Explanation:
The distance between the sun and the nearest star is 4.24 light years (ly), then the time will be:
[tex]t=\frac{x}{v} =\frac{4.24}{0.05c} =\frac{4.24*9.461×10^{5}m }{0.05*3×10^{8}m/s } \\t=2.674×10^{9} s=\frac{2.674×10^{9}}{60*60*24*365} =84.79years[/tex]
The span of one generation is approximately 30 years, then:
n = 84.79/30 = 2.82 = 3