TO ALL PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS - 'The Stiff String Theory'

TO ALL PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS ETC

I call this 'The Stiff String Theory' because it has to have a name
(Or how you can  reach Light Speed in space with a big watch)

Please can you answer this simple mathematical conumdrum for me:

FIRST

Imagine a turning watch hand of gigantic proportions somewhere out in space where there is no RESISTANCE
(or an imaginary laser of fixed length or long piece of stiff string)
(Impossible I know - but use your imagination ! )

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Say it is 10 miles long

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Fixed at one end to a central pivot 

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The hand / laser/ stiff string starts to turn like a big clock hand

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OK up to now?
(Hope you can imagine that)

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Turning at say 1 Revolution Per Minute

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The free 'end' will travel 1 entire circumference of the 'Turn' in the same time as a point along the 'Stiff String'  just 1 metre from the pivoted end , but it will travel much further in doing so and, importantly, at much higher speed:

THE QUESTION IS: How long would the imaginary hand / laser / Stiff String' have to be for the free end to theoretically be travelling at the speed of light? (299,792,458 m/s)

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I think as an example;

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The point along the 'Stiff String' that is 1 metre out from the pivot,  traverses a  circumference of 3.14metres at the speed of 3.14m per minute,  or .052333 m/sec

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While the free end will rotate in the same time (1 minute) but covering a distance of 31.14 miles  in 1 minute, or 921.5 m/sec

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THE QUESTION IS:

(Working with Pi, on Speed = Distance travelled / Time taken etc I assume it should be possible to calculate the length of the pointer the end of which, at 1 R.P.M,  reaches theoretical light speed ( but my calculator runs out of zeros! )

 I assume turning the pointer at higher R.P.M (Say 20,000 R.P.M) would reduce the length of pointer required to reach light speed by 20,000?

It's beyond me but I feel I need to know the answer (If you ask 'Why?' I would probably answer  'Because it's there' -But then it's not 'There', it's actually in my imagination!)

(I do actually like working with big numbers but my calculator doesn't)

So, if you can work it out and leave the answer in a comment here - I would be very grateful to you

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Egal Bohen

Nothing is a Puzzle

Nothing is a puzzle

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Set to lead us all astray

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From the truth that is the structure

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Of the stage on which we play

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Egal Bohen

The purpose of life...

The purpose of life is to enable you to recognise your conscience

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Egal Bohen