Question

You plan to take a trip to the moon. You do not have a traditional spaceship with rockets, so you will need to leave the earth with enough speed to make it to the moon. What is the minimum speed you need to leave the earth with in order to reach the moon?

1) Escape velocity of the moon
2) Escape velocity of the earth
3) Speed of light
4) Speed of sound

Answer 1

To travel to the moon, the minimum speed required to leave Earth is its escape velocity, which is about 11 kilometers per second.

Step-by-step explanation:

To take a trip to the moon without a traditional spaceship, you would need to achieve escape velocity from the Earth. The escape velocity required to leave Earth and break free from its gravitational pull is about 11 kilometers per second (25,000 miles per hour). This is the minimum speed needed to overcome Earth's gravity, without factoring in air resistance, and reach the moon.

Since this speed is significantly less than the speed of light and not related to the speed of sound, it is clear that option 2, the escape velocity of Earth, is the correct answer. The escape velocity of the moon and the speeds of sound and light are not relevant for the initial launch from Earth.