A)
light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second. approximately how far will it travel in 1 minute? express your answer in scientific notation
B)
the sun is approximately 93,000,000 miles from the earth. about how long does it take light to travel from the sun to the earth? remember that light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second
(A) 186,000*60 = 1.116 X 10^7 miles
(B) 93,000,000/186,000 = 5X10^2 seconds
Take care with the significant figures, these are much clearer in scientific notation. Also for both equations the units do not balance.
(A) 186,000*60 = 1.116 X 10^7 miles
If we take that the speed of light is to 3 sig figs and the minutes per hour as exact then the answer should be to 3 sig figs.
(B) 93,000,000/186,000 = 5X10^2 seconds
Here the Earth-Sun distance looks as though it is to 2 sig figs then the answer should be to 2 sig figs.
To balance the equations, either drop the units (Not recommended) or put the starting units in on the left hand side. This has the advantage in more complicated problems in that it can show if you have a conversion factor the correct way up for example.
Thus
(A) 186,000 miles s^-1 * 60 s = 1.12 X 10^7 miles
A) In 1 minute, light travels at a speed of approximately 186,000 miles per second. To calculate the distance it will travel in 1 minute, we need to multiply the speed by the time.
186,000 miles/second * 60 seconds = 11,160,000 miles
Expressing this in scientific notation, the distance light will travel in 1 minute is approximately 1.116 x 10^7 miles.
B) The distance from the sun to the earth is approximately 93,000,000 miles. To find out how long it takes light to travel this distance, we need to divide the distance by the speed of light.
93,000,000 miles / 186,000 miles/second = 500 seconds
Expressing this in minutes, it takes light approximately 8.33 minutes to travel from the sun to the earth.
A) To find out how far light will travel in 1 minute, we need to multiply its speed (186,000 miles per second) by the number of seconds in 1 minute. There are 60 seconds in 1 minute. So, the calculation would be:
186,000 miles/second * 60 seconds = 11,160,000 miles
Expressed in scientific notation, this would be 1.116 x 10^7 miles.
B) Given that the distance from the sun to the earth is approximately 93,000,000 miles and light travels at a speed of approximately 186,000 miles per second, we can calculate the time it takes for light to travel from the sun to the earth by dividing the distance by the speed.
93,000,000 miles / 186,000 miles/second = 500 seconds
So, it takes approximately 500 seconds for light to travel from the sun to the earth.