The earth takes 365 1/4 days to go around the sun. Mercury takes 3 days less than 1/4 of this time. How many days does Mercury take to go around the sun?
I believe I would have to find 1/4 of the 365 1/4 days then take 3 days out.
I was given this do as home work but was not given any method or formula. I really need even the formula or some help.
Yes, you're right.
It would be easier if you used decimals rather than fractions.
I'll be glad to check your answer.
To find out how many days it takes for Mercury to go around the sun, we can start by finding 1/4 of the time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit.
The Earth takes 365 1/4 days to go around the sun. To find 1/4 of this time, we can divide it by 4:
365 1/4 รท 4 = 91 1/4
So, 1/4 of the Earth's orbital period is 91 1/4 days.
Now, we need to find out how much less time Mercury takes compared to 1/4 of the Earth's orbital period. The question states that Mercury takes 3 days less than 1/4 of this time.
To find out the total time it takes for Mercury to go around the sun, we subtract 3 from 91 1/4:
91 1/4 - 3 = 88 1/4
Therefore, Mercury takes 88 1/4 days to complete one orbit around the sun.