Question

Applying Physics to Human Geography where Distance = Speed x Time: If humans originated in Africa and migrated to other parts of the world, some time would be required for this to occur. At a modest rate of one kilometer per year, how many centuries would it take for humans originating in Africa to migrate to China, some 10,000 kilometers away? Show your work for full credit.

Answer 1

Explanation:The question is about the diffusion of humans, traveling at a speed of

v

=

1

km/year

, attempting to migrate to China over a distance of

d

=

10000

km

. The time taken is obtained as:

t

=

d

v

=

10000

km

1

km/year

=

10000

years

.

We are asked to provide the answer in centuries. Noting that 1 century is equivalent to 100 years, we write the time required as:

10000

years

100

years/century

=

100

centuries