The speed of light is 3 x 10 to the 8th power meters per second. If the sun is 1.5 x 10 to the 11th power meters from earth, how many seconds does it take light to reach the earth?
Online, “*” is used to indicate multiplication to avoid confusion with “x” as an unknown.
Online "^" is used to indicate an exponent, e.g., x^2 = x squared.
(1.5*10^11)/(3*10^8) = .5*10^3
When exponents are multiplied/divided their values are added/subtracted respectively.
500
To find out how many seconds it takes for light to reach the Earth from the Sun, we can use the formula:
Time = Distance / Speed
The given speed of light is 3 x 10^8 meters per second, and the distance between the Sun and the Earth is 1.5 x 10^11 meters.
Plugging these values into the formula, we get:
Time = (1.5 x 10^11 meters) / (3 x 10^8 meters per second)
Simplifying, we get:
Time = (1.5 / 3) x (10^11 / 10^8) seconds
Time = 0.5 x 10^3 seconds
Since 0.5 x 10^3 is equivalent to 500, the answer is:
It takes light approximately 500 seconds to reach the Earth from the Sun.
To find out how many seconds it takes for light to reach the Earth from the Sun, we can use the formula:
time = distance / speed
In this case, the distance from the Sun to the Earth is given as 1.5 x 10^11 meters, and the speed of light is given as 3 x 10^8 meters per second. So let's substitute these values into the formula:
time = (1.5 x 10^11 meters) / (3 x 10^8 meters per second)
To divide two exponential numbers, we can subtract the exponents:
time = (1.5 / 3) x (10^11 / 10^8) seconds
Simplifying further:
time = 0.5 x 10^3 seconds
Lastly, we can write 0.5 x 10^3 as a decimal:
time = 0.5 seconds x 1000
time = 500 seconds
Therefore, it takes approximately 500 seconds for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth.