Final answer:
The United States could run on the energy released by a solar flare for 200,000 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to calculate how many years the United States could run on the energy released by a solar flare, we need to divide the total energy released by the solar flare by the annual energy consumption of the United States. The solar flare releases 5.0´1024 J of energy, while the United States consumes 2.5´1019 J of energy each year. Therefore, the number of years the United States could run on the energy released by the solar flare is:
(5.0´1024 J) / (2.5´1019 J/year) = 200,000 years
So, the correct answer is 200,000 years.