The distance from the sun to Earth is 1.496×10 8 km. How long does it take light to travel from the sun to Earth?

Hey everyone In this example, we need to calculate the amount of time it takes for light from the moon to reach the Earth. Were given the distance between the moon and earth as 384,400 km. So what we're starting from is from units of kilometers we're going to convert to meters and that because we want our final unit to be time, we're going to go from meters into seconds. So starting out with our kilometers were given 384, km as our distance from the moon to the Earth. And we're going to go from kilometers in the denominator into meters. In our numerator, we should recall that our prefix kilo tells us stuff for one kilometer. We have 10 to the third power meters. Now we're able to cancel out kilometers and now we're going to go from meters in our denominator, two seconds in our numerator. So we should recall the conversion factor that we have one second equal to three times 10th of the eighth power meters. So we can plug that in. So we have three times 10 to the eighth power meters in our denominator and one second in our new meter and now we can go ahead and cancel out meters leaving us with time in seconds as our final unit. This is going to give us a value equal to 1.28 seconds as our amount of time it takes for the light from the moon to hit the earth and this would be our final answer to complete this example. So I hope that everything we read was clear. Our answer 1.28 seconds will correspond with choice a and if you have any questions, just leave them down below and I'll see everyone in the next practice video.

Ch.7 - Quantum-Mechanical Model of the Atom

Tro - Chemistry: A Molecular Approach 4th Edition

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Ch.7 - Quantum-Mechanical Model of the Atom

Problem 35

Chapter 7, Problem 35

The distance from the sun to Earth is 1.496×10⁸ km. How long does it take light to travel from the sun to Earth?

Verified step by step guidance

First, we need to know the speed of light, which is approximately 3.00 * 10^8 meters per second (m/s).

Next, convert the distance from the sun to Earth from kilometers to meters. Remember that 1 kilometer is equal to 1000 meters.

Then, use the formula for time, which is distance divided by speed. In this case, the distance is the distance from the sun to Earth (in meters) and the speed is the speed of light.

Substitute the values into the formula and calculate the time.

Finally, convert the time from seconds to minutes if necessary. Remember that 1 minute is equal to 60 seconds.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Speed of Light

The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (km/s). This constant is crucial for calculating how long it takes light to travel a given distance, such as from the sun to Earth. Understanding this speed allows us to relate distance and time in the context of light travel.

Distance and Time Relationship

The relationship between distance, speed, and time is described by the formula: time = distance/speed. In this scenario, the distance from the sun to Earth is known, and by using the speed of light, we can determine the time it takes for light to cover that distance. This fundamental concept is essential for solving problems involving motion.

Units of Measurement

In physics and chemistry, it is important to use consistent units of measurement. In this case, the distance is given in kilometers, and the speed of light is in kilometers per second. Ensuring that both measurements are in compatible units is necessary for accurate calculations, as it allows for straightforward application of the distance and time relationship.