Part 3 (1/2)
”Yes, I should like very much to know,” replied the professor.
”Our greatest mathematician, 459C-79, will tell it to you.” The mathematician stepped forward. Upon one side of his cube were many b.u.t.tons arranged in long columns and squares.
”What is your unit of measuring?” he asked.
”A mile.”
”How many times more is a mile than is the length of your rocket satellite?”
”My rocket is fifteen feet long. A mile is five thousand two hundred and eighty feet.”
The mathematician depressed a few b.u.t.tons.
”How far, or how many miles from the sun was your planet at that time?”
”Ninety-three million miles,” was the reply.
”And your world's satellite--which you call moon from your planet--earth?”
”Two hundred and forty thousand miles.”
”And your rocket?”
”I figured it to go about sixty-five thousand miles from the earth.”
”It was only twenty thousand miles from the earth when we picked it up,”
said the mathematician, depressing a few more b.u.t.tons. ”The moon and sun are also much nearer your planet now.”
Professor Jameson gave way to a mental e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n of amazement.
”Do you know how long you have cruised around the planet in your own satellite?” said the mathematician. ”Since you began that journey, the planet which you call the earth has revolved around the sun over forty million times.”
”Forty--million--years!” exclaimed Professor Jameson haltingly.
”Humanity must then have all perished from the earth long ago! I'm the last man on earth!”
”It is a dead world now,” interjected 25X-987.
”Of course,” elucidated the mathematician, ”those last few million years are much shorter than the ones in which you lived. The earth's...o...b..t is of less diameter and its speed of revolution is greatly increased, due to its proximity to the cooling sun. I should say that your year was some four times as long as the time in which it now takes your old planet to circ.u.mnavigate the sun.
”How many days were there in your year?”
”Three hundred and sixty-five.”
”The planet has now ceased rotating entirely.”
”Seems queer that your rocket satellite should avoid the meteors so long,” observed 459C-79, the mathematician.
”Automatic radium repulsion rays,” explained the professor.