Question

The distance from the Sun to Earth is about 1.5 x 10^11 meters. Suppose light travels at a speed of 3 x 10^8 meters per second. About how long does it take light from the Sun to reach Earth?

A) 4.5 x 10^2 seconds.
B) 1.503 x 10^3 seconds.
C) 5 x 10^2 seconds.
D) 5 x 10^3 seconds.

Answer 1

To determine how long it takes light from the Sun to reach Earth, we divide the distance from Sun to Earth, 1.5 x 10^11 meters, by the speed of light, 3 x 10^8 meters per second, resulting in an answer of 5 x 10^2 seconds or about 500 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the time it takes light to travel from the Sun to Earth. Using the distance from the Sun to Earth (1.5 x 1011 meters) and the speed of light (3 x 108 meters per second), we can calculate the time by dividing the distance by the speed:

Time = Distance / Speed = (1.5 x 1011 m) / (3 x 108 m/s)

Let's perform the calculation:

Time = 1.5 x 1011 / 3 x 108 = 5 x 102 seconds

Thus, the correct answer is C) 5 x 102 seconds, which is approximately 500 seconds or slightly more than 8 minutes.