Warp Speed Calculator

for the Star Trek universe


Select version: Classic Star Trek
The Next Generation
Please enter Warp factor:
Velocity × c (speed of light)




Warp Factor Calculator is a Java Script calculator that computes speed as a function of "warp factor" in multiples of the speed of light.

The program is operated by selecting the series version using the radio buttons, entering a "warp factor" number that is greater than 0, and then pressing the Calculate button. All entries are cleared by pressing the Clear button. If the "warp factor" is too large, the output windows will display: NaN -- Not a Number.

The Star Trek universe neglects relativistic effects. Time has the same rate for both fixed and moving objects.

For the original Classic Star Trek series, the warp equation is generally accepted to be:

 V = C×W 3
in which,

 C  -- the speed of light ~3×108 meters per second
 W -- the warp factor
 V -- velocity through space

For Star Trek: The Next Generation, the generally accepted warp scale has changed. Warp 10 is infinite speed that cannot be reached. Here the following is used for the warp equation:

 V = C×W 3.3333 + f (W)
in which,

 f (W) = −0.5 log10(10 − W),     if 9.0 < W <= 10.0
 f (W) = 0,     otherwise

Not everyone will agree on this definition. However, it has the advantages of being both simple and elegent.


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