Final answer:
The time it takes for sunlight to reach the Earth is calculated by converting the distance from miles to meters and then using the formula time = distance/speed with the speed of light. After obtaining the time in seconds, it is converted to minutes for the final answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the time it takes for sunlight to reach the Earth, we use the formula: time = distance/speed. First, we need to convert the distance from miles to meters since the speed of light is given in meters per second (m/s). There are approximately 1.609344 kilometers in a mile, and 1000 meters in a kilometer, so 92.96 million miles is equivalent to 92.96 × 10⁶ × 1.609344 × 10³ meters.
Next, we divide the distance by the speed of light (3.00 x 10⁸ m/s) to obtain the time in seconds. Afterwards, we convert seconds to minutes by dividing by 60 since there are 60 seconds in a minute. Performing these calculations, we find the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth.