Radio signals travel at a rate of 3 × 10^8 meters per second. How many seconds would it take for a radio signal to travel from a satellite to the surface of Earth if the satellite is orbiting at a height of 3.6 × 10^7 meters? (Hint: Time is distance divided by rate.)
First, we need to calculate the total distance that the radio signal would travel from the satellite to the surface of Earth. Since the satellite is orbiting at a height of 3.6 × 10^7 meters, the total distance can be calculated as the sum of the radius of the Earth (6.37 × 10^6 meters) and the height of the satellite:
Total distance = 6.37 × 10^6 meters + 3.6 × 10^7 meters
Total distance = 4.237 × 10^7 meters
Next, we can calculate the time it would take for the radio signal to travel this distance at a rate of 3 × 10^8 meters per second:
Time = Total distance / Rate
Time = 4.237 × 10^7 meters / 3 × 10^8 meters per second
Time = 1.4123 × 10^-1 seconds
Therefore, it would take approximately 0.14123 seconds for a radio signal to travel from a satellite orbiting at a height of 3.6 × 10^7 meters to the surface of Earth.