With the ability to measure the motion of land masses, continental drift has become an established fact. The North American and European continents are drifting apart at a rate of about 3 cm per year. At this rate how long (in years) will it take for them to drift 1320 m further apart than at present?

Question

With the ability to measure the motion of land masses, continental drift has become an established fact. The North American and European continents are drifting apart at a rate of about 3 cm per year. At this rate how long (in years) will it take for them to drift 1320 m further apart than at present?

Answer 1

time = distance/speed

watch the units

Answer 2

To find out how long it will take for the North American and European continents to drift 1320 meters further apart than they are now, we need to divide the total distance they need to drift by their current rate of 3 cm per year.

1 meter is equal to 100 centimeters, so 1320 meters would be equal to 1320 x 100 = 132,000 centimeters.

Now, we can calculate the number of years it would take for the continents to drift this distance using the formula:

Time (in years) = Distance / Rate

Time = 132,000 cm / 3 cm per year

Time ≈ 44,000 years

Therefore, it would take approximately 44,000 years for the North American and European continents to drift 1320 meters further apart than they are now.