Question

If light moves at a speed of 299,792,458 m/s, how long will it take light to move a distance of 1.49 x 108 km from the Sun to the Earth? Express your answer in seconds using the correct number of significant figures. Do not enter your answer using scientific notation.

Answer 1

To determine how long light takes to travel from the Sun to the Earth at a speed of 299,792,458 m/s for a distance of 1.49 x 10^8 km, convert the distance to meters and divide by the speed of light. The result is approximately 497 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

If light moves at a speed of 299,792,458 m/s, and we want to determine how long it will take light to travel a distance of 1.49 x 108 km from the Sun to the Earth, we must first convert the distance to meters (since the speed of light is given in meters per second). To do this, we multiply by 1,000 (since 1 km = 1,000 m), yielding a distance of 1.49 x 1011 m.

To find the time in seconds, we divide the distance by the speed of light, which gives us:

Time (seconds) = Distance (m) / Speed of light (m/s) = 1.49 x 1011 m / 299,792,458 m/s

Performing the calculation yields approximately 497 seconds, which is the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth with the given information. We use the same number of significant figures as presented in the distance measurement, which in this case is two (1.49).

Answer 2

497.01 seconds will it take light to move a distance of
`1.49* 10^8 km`from the Sun to the Earth.

Step-by-step explanation:

Speed of the light = 299,792,458 m/s

Time taken by the light to cover
`1.49* 10^8` kilometer = T

`1.49* 10^8km=1.49* 10^(11) m`

Speed=
`(Distance)/(Time)`

`299,792,458 m/s=(1.49* 10^(11) m)/(T)`

`T=497.01 seconds`

497.01 seconds will it take light to move a distance of
`1.49* 10^8 km`from the Sun to the Earth.