Light from the Sun reaches Earth in 8.3 min. The speed of light is 3.00 x 10^8 m/s. How far is Earth from the Sun?
To determine the distance between Earth and the Sun, we need to calculate the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to Earth and then use the speed of light as a constant.
Given:
Speed of light (c) = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s
Time taken for light to reach Earth = 8.3 minutes
To convert minutes to seconds, we know that 1 minute is equal to 60 seconds. Therefore, the time taken is 8.3 minutes x 60 seconds/minute = 498 seconds.
Now, we can calculate the distance using the formula:
Distance = Speed x Time
Distance = (3.00 x 10^8 m/s) x (498 seconds)
Distance = 1.494 x 10^11 meters
So, Earth is approximately 1.494 x 10^11 meters away from the Sun.