light from the sun takes approximately 8 minutes to reach earth. If the light travels at a speed of 3 x 10 raised to 8 meters / second, calculate to 3 significant figures the distance from the sun to the earth
8 min * 60 s/min * 3*10^7 m/s = ? m
To calculate the distance from the sun to the earth, we can use the formula:
Distance = Speed × Time
Given that the speed of light is approximately 3 × 10^8 meters/second and it takes approximately 8 minutes for light from the sun to reach the earth, we need to convert the 8 minutes to seconds.
1 minute = 60 seconds
So, 8 minutes = 8 × 60 seconds = 480 seconds.
Now, using the formula, we can calculate the distance:
Distance = (3 × 10^8 meters/second) × (480 seconds)
Distance = 1.44 × 10^11 meters
Rounding it to 3 significant figures, the distance from the sun to the earth is approximately 1.44 × 10^11 meters.