Physics Question?

Question

During a solar eclipse, your view of the Sun is almost exactly replaced by your view of the moon. Assuming that the distance from you to the Sun is about 400 times the distance from you to the Moon. Find the ratio of the Sun's diameter to the Moon's diameter.

Answer 1

Draw a diagram from straight over your head. The Moon in the sky takes up a certain angle (half a degree, I think). So does the Sun, by an astonishing coincidence. During a total solar eclipse the two triangles are aligned at the point (that's where you are). But the Sun's triangle, we are assuming, is 400 times larger. Otherwise they are similar triangles.

Since of the the two similar triangles is 400 times larger, each of the sides is also 400 times larger than its corresponding side. But the short side is the diameter of the Moon or Sun. Hence, the diameter of the Sun is 400 times the diameter of the Moon.

The actual figures: The Moon is 250,000 miles away and the sun is 93,000,000 miles away. Those are average values, and somewhat approximate.

Answer 2

As everybody said the ratio is 400:1 I'll explain the logic behind this We know that relation b/w arc length radius & angle is given by A=l/r where A is angle
If we can't see the sun so it follows that both the sun and moon are both subtending the same angle at the observation point By writing equations for both sun and moon and dividing we get the result

Answer 3

The APPARENT ratio of the diameters from the sun to the moon would be 400:1. The moon appears to be 400x larger than the sun because the sun is 400x farther than the moon. The actual diameter ratio... you'll just have to look that up, I'm afraid.

Answer 4

The sun's diameter is approximately.....wait.....that's not the moon eclipsing the sun. It's Rosie O'Donnell.

Answer 5

the sun is twenty times larger than the moon.

Answer 6

400:1. It's a linear thing. You can prove it with a pencil, ruler and piece of paper.