The Museum of HP Calculators The Museum of HP Calculators
This program was written by Richard Garner.
This program is supplied without representation or warranty of any kind. The author and The Museum of HP Calculators therefore assume no responsibility and shall have no liability, consequential or otherwise, of any kind arising from the use of this program material or any part thereof.
This program calculates the Warp Factors, Distance of Travel and Time of Travel for 3 Eras of Star Trek and 4 versions of Warp Drive technology. The 3 eras are Enterprise/ Trek Original Series, Trek Movies, and Trek Next Generation/Deep Space 9/Voyage. The 4 versions of Warp Drive technologies are Standard Warp (Enterprise/ Trek Original Series), TransWarp (Trek Movies), UltraWarp (Trek Next Generation/Deep Space 9/Voyage), and SlipStream (Voyage).
Excerpt from the 1980 Bantam Books, Star Trek Maps by Jeff Maynard:
The classic WF3×c = V formula (where WF3 is the warp factor cubed and c is the speed of light, or about 300,000 kilometers per second) has often been used to determine faster-than-light velocities; but it is obvious that this formula is insufficient if we consider that starships have visited the galactic center, approximately 30,000 light years distant (a trip which would take thirty years, even at warp factor ten, using this formula).
As Zefram Cochrane pointed out in 2053, actual warp speeds relative to the speed of light may be calculated by multiplying the warp factor cubed by a variable that accounts for the curvature of space in a fourth dimension by the presence of mass; subspace, a continuum in which a vessel under warp drive travels, is not curved in a fourth spatial dimension, and therefore offers a linear "short cut" between points in our galaxy. This variable, called Cochrane's factor and sometimes indicated by the Greek letter chi (X), can be as high as 1,500 in dense dust and gas clouds and as little as 1 in the intergalactic void. It is larger near massive objects such as stars and black holes, as space is curved around such objects to an even greater extent. For practical reasons, warp drive is not used in the vicinity of massive objects, as the disproportionately high warp speeds tend to produce a "slingshot effect," catapulting a starship out of this space-time continuum altogether. Between galaxies, where negligible matter exists, space is not perceptibly curved, and the short cut afforded by Cochrane's factor disappears. Warp speeds attain their "ideal" (WF3×c = V) values, and the transit time to the Andromeda galaxy becomes thousands rather than hundreds of years.
The correct warp factor formula is therefore expressed as X×WF3×c = V, where the value of X varies with the local density of matter. This variable, somewhat analogous to the winds or ocean currents in sailing, explains why great interstellar distances may sometimes be traversed at greater speeds and in less time than shorter distances. Accordingly, a navigator must take into account any variations in the density of matter along a given route before he is able to estimate the arrival time at his destination.
The following table shows the corrected values for warp speeds, given an average value for X of 1292.7238 within Federation space.
Time per parsec
WF WF3 X×WF3 hr mm ss
1 1 1,292.7238 22 07 00
2 8 10,341.7904 02 45 52
3 27 34,903.5426 00 49 08
4 64 82,734.3232 00 20 44
5 125 161,590.4750 00 10 36
6 216 279,228.3407 00 06 08
7 343 443,404.2634 00 03 52
8 512 661,874.5856 00 02 35
9 729 942,395.6502 00 01 49
10 1000 1,292,723.8000 00 01 19
Standard Warp Drive:
The excerpt above describes the basis behind Standard Warp Drive as well as all the others. In Standard Warp the Warp Factors are to the 3rd power. V = WF3×X×c. This form of calculating warp factors is used for calculating speeds in Enterprise, Star Trek Original Series, Star Trek the Motion Picture, Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock.
TransWarp Drive:
In TransWarp the Warp Factors are to the 4th power. V = WF4×X×c. Dubbed the "Great Experiment" in Search for Spock, the first test bed, Excelsior, did not prove too space worthy. But the second test bed, Enterprise-A, proved itself to be the preferred design. This form of calculating warp factors is used for calculating speeds in Search for Spock, Voyage Home, Final Frontier, and Undiscovered Country.
UltraWarp Drive:
In UltraWarp the Warp Factors are to the 5th power. V = WF5×X×c. UltraWarp is a much more refined version of TransWarp. In UltraWarp there is a finer control of the matter/anti-matter injectors and better materials used in constructing paired Warp Coils with a greater magnitude of field strength. This form of calculating warp factors is used for calculating speeds in Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyage.
SlipStream Warp Drive:
In SlipStream Warp the Warp Factors are to the 6th power. V = WF6×X×c. SlipStream was introduced late in Voyage and I am assuming that it would follow the same progression.
Once the program is executed you will see the main menu for the program. This program assumes UltraWarp as the default setting and will stay in this setting until changed. The 3 following examples will show you how the 3 main routines work.
If you have not done so, execute Warp. Press the "TIME" key on the menu Enter your Warp Factor 5 Press R/S Enter your Distance in Parsecs 200 Press R/S
Answer:
It will take you 1 hour 24 minutes and 55 seconds to travel from Earth to Padjua.
If you have not done so, execute Warp. Press the "ERA" key on the menu Press the "STAND" key on the menu Press the "VELC" key on the menu Enter your Distance in Parsecs 1200 Press R/S Enter your Time 3 Press the "DAY" key on the menu Press the "SEC" key on the menu (VERY IMPORTANT) Even if you are not entering in any seconds, you must press the "SEC" key to allow the program to continue proper execution.
Answer:
It will take a Warp Factor of 7.17 to reach Trevers World in 3 days.
IPress the "DIST" key on the menu Enter your Warp Factor 6 Press R/S Enter your Time 3 Press the "DAY" key on the menu 13 Press the "HRS" key on the menu 15 Press the "MIN" key on the menu 22 Press the "SEC" key on the menu (VERY IMPORTANT) Even if you are not entering in any seconds, you must press the "SEC" key to allow the program to continue proper execution.
Answer:
You will have traveled 832.64 Parsecs.
LINE KEYS 000 { 730-Byte Prgm } 001 ▶LBL "WARP" 002 24 003 STO 01 004 60 005 STO 02 006 1292.7238 007 STO 04 008 299792.458 009 STO 05 010 3600 011 STO 06 012 3.08567818585E13 013 STO 07 014 8765.81277074 015 STO 08 016 12 017 STO 09 018 30.4368498984 019 STO 10 020 GTO "ULTRA" 021 ▶LBL 01 022 CLS 023 CLKEYS 024 ASSIGN "TIME" TO 01 025 ASSIGN "VELC" TO 02 026 ASSIGN "DIST" TO 03 027 ASSIGN "ERA" TO 05 028 SF 27 029 PROMPT 030 ▶LBL "TIME" 031 "Warp Factor?" 032 PROMPT 033 RCL 03 034 yx 035 RCL× 04 036 RCL× 05 037 RCL× 06 038 1/X 039 RCL× 07 040 "Distance in Par" 041 ⊢"secs?" 042 PROMPT 043 × 044 RCL÷ 08 045 FIX 00 046 CF 28 047 CF 29 048 CLA 049 AIP 050 ⊢"Y:" 051 FP 052 RCL× 09 053 AIP 054 ⊢"M:" 055 FP 056 RCL× 10 057 AIP 058 ⊢"D:" 059 FP 060 RCL× 01 061 AIP 062 ⊢"h:" 063 FP 064 RCL× 02 065 AIP 066 ⊢"m:" 067 FP 068 RCL× 02 069 AIP 070 ⊢"s" 071 SF 28 072 SF 29 073 FIX 04 074 PROMPT 075 ▶LBL "VELC" 076 "Distance in Par" 077 ⊢"secs?" 078 PROMPT 079 RCL× 07 080 RCL÷ 05 081 STO 11 082 2 083 STO 13 084 GTO 04 085 ▶LBL 02 086 RCL÷ 12 087 RCL÷ 06 088 RCL÷ 04 089 RCL 03 090 1/X 091 yx 092 FIX 02 093 "Warp Factor " 094 ARCL ST X 095 FIX 04 096 GTO 01 097 ▶LBL "DIST" 098 "Warp Factor?" 099 PROMPT 100 RCL 03 101 yx 102 RCL× 04 103 RCL× 06 104 STO 11 105 3 106 STO 13 107 GTO 04 108 ▶LBL 03 109 RCL× 12 110 RCL× 05 111 RCL÷ 07 112 FIX 02 113 CLA 114 ARCL ST X 115 ⊢" Parsecs" 116 PROMPT 117 ▶LBL 04 118 0 119 STO 12 120 CLKEYS 121 ASSIGN "YRS" TO 01 122 ASSIGN "MNTH" TO 02 123 ASSIGN "DAYS" TO 03 124 ASSIGN "HRS" TO 04 125 ASSIGN "MIN" TO 05 126 ASSIGN "SEC" TO 06 178 SF 27 128 "Enter Time" 129 PROMPT 130 ▶LBL "YRS" 131 RCL× 08 132 STO+ 12 133 CLST 134 STOP 135 ▶LBL "MNTH" 136 RCL× 10 137 RCL× 01 138 STO+ 12 139 CLST 140 STOP 141 ▶LBL "DAYS" 142 RCL× 01 143 STO+ 12 144 CLST 145 STOP 146 ▶LBL "HRS" 147 STO+ 12 148 CLST 149 STOP 150 ▶LBL "MIN" 151 RCL÷ 02 152 STO+ 12 153 CLST 154 STOP 155 ▶LBL "SEC" 156 RCL÷ 06 157 STO+ 12 158 RCL 11 159 GTO IND 13 160 ▶LBL "ERA" 161 CLST 162 CLKEYS 163 ASSIGN "STAND" TO 01 164 ASSIGN "TRANS" TO 02 165 ASSIGN "ULTRA" TO 03 166 ASSIGN "SLIP" TO 04 167 SF 27 168 STOP 169 ▶LBL "STAND" 170 3 171 STO 03 172 "Standard Warp D" 173 ⊢"rive" 174 GTO 01 175 ▶LBL "TRANS" 176 4 177 STO 03 178 "TransWarp Drive" 179 GTO 01 180 ▶LBL "ULTRA" 181 5 182 STO 03 183 "UltraWarp Drive" 184 GTO 01 185 ▶LBL "SLIP" 186 6 187 STO 03 188 "SlipStream Driv" 189 ⊢"e" 190 GTO 01 191 END
R01: 24 - Hours in a Day
R02: 60 - Minutes in an Hour
R03: Varies - Exponent for Warp Factor
R04: 1292.7238 - Average Cochrane Factor for
Federation space
R05: 299792.458 - Speed of Light in Kilometers per second
R06: 3600 - Seconds in an Hour
R07: 3.08567818585E13 - Kilometers in a Parsec
R08: 8765.81277074 - Average Hours in a Year
R09: 12 - Months in a Year
R10: 30.4368498984 - Average Days in a Month
R11: Temporary calculation storage
R12: Temporary calculation storage
R13: Indirect Label Return (Varies)
Go back to the software library
Go back to the main exhibit hall