The fastest spacecraft we have ever launched travels 20,000 times slower than the speed of light. How long
will the spacecraft take to reach a star 5 light years away?
The speed of light is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second. If the fastest spacecraft we have ever launched travels 20,000 times slower than the speed of light, it would travel at a speed of 299,792/20,000 = 14.99 kilometers per second.
To calculate the time it would take for the spacecraft to reach a star 5 light years away, we need to convert the distance to kilometers. Since 1 light year is equal to 9.461 × 10^12 kilometers, 5 light years would be equal to 5 × 9.461 × 10^12 = 4.731 × 10^13 kilometers.
Now, we can calculate the time it would take for the spacecraft to cover this distance by dividing the total distance by the spacecraft's speed:
Time = Distance / Speed
Time = (4.731 × 10^13 kilometers) / (14.99 kilometers per second)
Time = 3.154 × 10^12 seconds
Therefore, the spacecraft would take approximately 3.154 × 10^12 seconds to reach a star 5 light years away.
To calculate the time it would take for the spacecraft to reach a star 5 light years away, we need to understand the speed of light and the speed of the spacecraft relative to it.
The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second or about 186,282 miles per second. The spacecraft travels 20,000 times slower than the speed of light, which means its speed would be:
Speed of spacecraft = Speed of light / 20,000
Now, to calculate the time it would take to travel a distance, we can use the formula:
Time = Distance / Speed
In this case, the distance is 5 light years, but we need to convert it into a measurable unit like kilometers or miles.
Since 1 light year is approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers or about 5.879 trillion miles, the distance to the star would be:
Distance = 5 light years x 9.461 trillion kilometers per light year
Now, we can substitute these values into the formula to find the time it would take for the spacecraft to reach the star:
Time = (Distance / Speed of spacecraft)
Calculating this will give you the estimated time it would take for the spacecraft to reach the star 5 light years away.
To determine the estimated time it would take for the spacecraft to reach a star 5 light years away, we need to calculate the speed of the spacecraft in terms of distance per time.
Given that the fastest spacecraft we have launched travels 20,000 times slower than the speed of light, we can calculate its speed as follows:
Speed of spacecraft = Speed of light / 20,000
Now, let's calculate the speed of light:
Speed of light = 299,792,458 kilometers per second (approximately)
Therefore, the spacecraft's speed would be:
Speed of spacecraft = 299,792,458 km/s / 20,000
Next, we can calculate the distance the spacecraft needs to cover to reach the star, which is 5 light years. To convert this into kilometers, we need to multiply it by the distance light travels in one year.
Distance to the star = 5 light years × 9,460,730,472,580.8 kilometers (approximately)
Finally, to find the time it would take for the spacecraft to reach the star, we divide the distance by the speed:
Time = Distance to the star / Speed of spacecraft
Calculating all the values:
Speed of light = 299,792,458 km/s
Speed of spacecraft = 299,792,458 km/s / 20,000 = 14,989.623 km/s
Distance to the star = 5 light years × 9,460,730,472,580.8 km = 47,303,652,362,904 km
Time = 47,303,652,362,904 km / 14,989.623 km/s
By performing the above calculation, we can determine the estimated time it would take for the spacecraft to reach the star.