The average distance from the earth to the sun is 93 million miles. If the sum were to be suddenly extinguished, how long would it take for the effect to be visible on earth; The speed of light is 3.0X 108 m/s and 1 mile 1.609 km: 0.500 seconds 8.31 minutes 5.38 minutes 40X 10″ minutes 0.310 seconds
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To find how long it would take for the effect of the Sun’s extinction to be visible on Earth, we need to calculate the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to Earth.
Step 1: Convert distance from miles to kilometers
The average distance from Earth to the Sun is 93 million miles. To use the speed of light in meters per second, we should first convert the distance to meters.
We know:
1 mile = 1.609 kilometers
1 kilometer = 1,000 meters
Thus,
93 million miles = 93,000,000 miles × 1.609 kilometers/mile = 149,337,000 kilometers
149,337,000 kilometers = 149,337,000 × 1,000 meters = 149,337,000,000 meters
Step 2: Use the speed of light to calculate the time
Now we know the distance (149,337,000,000 meters) and the speed of light (3.0 × 10^8 meters per second).
The formula to calculate time is:Time=DistanceSpeed\text{Time} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Speed}}Time=SpeedDistance
Substitute the known values:Time=149,337,000,000 meters3.0×108 meters/second=497.79 seconds\text{Time} = \frac{149,337,000,000 \, \text{meters}}{3.0 \times 10^8 \, \text{meters/second}} = 497.79 \, \text{seconds}Time=3.0×108meters/second149,337,000,000meters=497.79seconds
Step 3: Convert seconds to minutes
497.79 seconds÷60=8.30 minutes497.79 \, \text{seconds} \div 60 = 8.30 \, \text{minutes}497.79seconds÷60=8.30minutes
Conclusion
It would take approximately 8.31 minutes for the effect of the Sun’s extinction to be visible on Earth. This is because the light traveling from the Sun takes about 8.31 minutes to reach Earth.
Correct answer: 8.31 minutes
