#LIGHTSPEED TO WARP SPEED CALCULATOR DRIVER#

The Enterprise D only carries 9.3 metric tonnes of deuterium, so they’re a little short. That’s the same mass as 337 Empire State Buildings. What about fuel? Let’s calculate how much deuterium (heavy hydrogen) it would take to accelerate the Enterprise to quarter impulse: It would take almost two hours and 1.6 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun! In Star Trek, it seems like whenever any warp-capable ship travels at less than light speed, it’s almost always “one quarter impulse power.” Let’s use some constant acceleration physics in PTC Mathcad to calculate the time and distance necessary to reach one quarter impulse power: The impulse engines have a required acceleration of 10 kilometers per second per second, which is just over a thousand g’s. The Enterprise D has a mass of 4.5 million metric tons, and a maximum sustainable impulse speed of 0.92 c. Let’s look at the math behind impulse power, and why Starfleet finds it impractical for normal operations.

#LIGHTSPEED TO WARP SPEED CALCULATOR DRIVER#

To bypass some of the trickier real-world physics, the impulse engines of Star Trek also accelerate the exhaust and use driver coils to generate distortions in the space-time continuum just like the warp engines. It uses the same principles as rocket engines today: Newton’s third law (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction).Ī fusion reaction generates an exhaust, which is directed out of the ship, and the thrust propels the vehicle in the opposite direction. In Star Trek, impulse power is the method of propulsion for sub-light speed travel. Keeping with that theme, this week see how impulse power holds up to the math.

Not long ago, I used PTC Mathcad to uncover some real-world truths about Star Trek and its implausible use of “ warp speed.” Of course, Start Trek is fiction, but I thought exploring some of the concepts found in the popular science fiction series would be an interesting way to demonstrate how PTC Mathcad can help you work out physics problems.

Lightspeed to warp speed calculator