light travels at a constant speed of 3x10^11 centimeters/sec. how long does it take light to reach the earth a distance of 1.5x10^8 kilometers give your answer in seconds and minutes.
If you get confused whether to multiply or divide, and using what, just remember that you are just changing units.
You have
speed = cm/s
and distance = cm
and you want time = s
so, divide cm by cm/s to cancel the cm and leave s
time = distance / speed
I assume you can plug in the numbers.
300,000,000
To calculate the time it takes for light to reach the Earth, we need to convert the given distance into centimeters and then divide it by the speed of light.
First, let's convert the given distance from kilometers to centimeters:
1.5 x 10^8 kilometers = 1.5 x 10^8 x 10^5 centimeters (since 1 kilometer = 10^5 centimeters)
= 1.5 x 10^13 centimeters
Now, we divide the distance by the speed of light to get the time in seconds:
Time = Distance / Speed
Time = (1.5 x 10^13 centimeters) / (3 x 10^11 centimeters/sec)
Time = (1.5 x 10^13) / (3 x 10^11)
Time = 0.5 x 10^2 = 50 seconds
Therefore, it takes light approximately 50 seconds to reach the Earth.
To convert this time into minutes, we divide the time in seconds by 60 (since there are 60 seconds in a minute):
Time in minutes = 50 seconds / 60 seconds/minute
Time in minutes = 0.83 minutes
So, it takes light approximately 0.83 minutes to reach the Earth.