Question

A radio signal travels at 3.00 • 10^8 meters per second. How many seconds will 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 3.54 • 10^7 meters? Show your work.

would the answer be rate=3*10^8m/s
distance=3.6*10^7m
time=distance/rate=3.6/30 ???

Answer 1

The answer is 0.118 seconds.

The velocity (v) is the distance (d) divided by time (t):
v = d ÷ t

It is given:
v = 3.00 × 10⁸ meters per second
d = 3.54 × 10⁷ meters

It is unknown:
t = ?

If:
v = d ÷ t
Then:
t = d ÷ v
t = 3.54 × 10⁷ meters ÷ 3.00 × 10⁸ meters/second
t = 1.18 × 10⁻¹ seconds
t = 0.118 seconds

Therefore, radio signal will travel from a satellite to the surface ofEarth 0.118 seconds.