MadSci Network: Physics
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Subject: Space travel in three dimensions

Date: Thu Mar 27 12:51:23 1997
Posted by: David P. Melton
Grade level: grad
School/Organization: No school entered.
City: Richmond State/Province: VA
Country: USA
Area of science: Physics
Message ID: 859488683.Ph
Message:
Space travel in three dimensions
Image a space vehicle of some type, capable of a maximum velocity
(maxV) of 98% the speed of light for a indefinite period of time.  
It's first vector is in any directory (v1).  After reaching maxV, 
it rotates until it's 90 degrees to the first vector (v1) which I
will name (v2),  re-starts it's engines again until it reaches it's
maxV.   Finally it rotates until it's 90 degrees to (v1) and (v2) 
which could only be two vectors forming a line (v3) , and again
re-starts it engines until it reaches it's maxV.   In my mind,  
the final vector is easy to picture, but I'm unable to calculate 
the Final Velocity.   My assumptions are;  1.  Each subsequent vector
v2 and v3, add to the total velocity,  2.  v2 and v3 do NOT reduce
any previous acceleration.   It's seems to me that the Final
Velocity would be greater than the speed of light, which I know is
not possible.   QUESTIONS:   What is the Final Velocity, and how is
it calculated?      After the final acceleration (v3),  information
seems to be lost, i.e. the previous vectors v1 and v2 can not be 
determined by analyzing vector v3, and to any outside observer it
would appear that the space vehicle had simply been traveling v3
since it started.  Is the lose of  "information" significant to the
calculation ?

Re:Space travel in three dimensions

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