tom@utcsrgv.UUCP (Tom Nadas) (10/19/84)
The cube of the warp factor number = the multiple of the speed of light. Warp 2 is 8c, warp 3 is 27c, maximum safe cruising speeed warp 6 is 256c, emergency speed warp 8 is 512 c. However, even those speeds are too low for the distances the Enterprise was supposed to have covered.
mnw@trwrba.UUCP (Michael N. Washington) (10/22/84)
>According to "The Star Fleet Handbook", and possibly also "The Making of >Star Trek", when you are going warp factor N you are traveling at N^2 >times the speed of light. So, if you go at the maximum safe velocity >(during the series) of warp 8 you are going 64*c. > >Actually, this doesn't sound right for interstellar distances. Maybe >I'm remembering wrong and it is N^3. Then warp 8 would be 512*c. This >is still really insufficient for interstellar distances, but at least it >sounds fast enough to satisfy many people. -- > Barry Margolin > ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics > UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmar ------------ B. Margolin was partially right. Warp speed is defined as N^3*c for the velocity not N^2*c. I have a copy of the Star Trek Concordance and the first equation is the definition given. "Live Long and Prosper!" Michael N. Washington TRW E&DS Redondo Beach, Ca. 90278 {ucbvax,decvax,hplabs}!trwrb!trwrba!mnw
mnw@trwrba.UUCP (Michael N. Washington) (10/26/84)
The TV series of ST did have many consistencies probably because of the
different writers. One thing being, when the Enterprise was leaving a
planet after completing it's mission (saving Kirk, planet, etc.) it
would leave the planet at warp 1. Well at warp 1 (speed of light),
within three seconds or so, the planet would be very tiny or couldn't
be seen. I noticed this last night in the episode "Dagger of the Mind",
when the Enterprise left the planet. It seemed to move very slowly
at warp 1. But this is Hollywood and TV exec's, they are not interested
in consistency or believeability (heaven knows why)!!
"Live Long and Prosper!"
Michael N. Washington
TRW E&DS Redondo Beach, Ca. 90278
{ucbvax,decvax,hplabs}!trwrb!trwrba!mnw