How long does it take light, traveling at 1x10^16m a year, to travel from the star to the planet? Write your answer in scientific notation.
2007-05-26 08:59:13 · 5 answers · asked by Somebody 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
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2007-05-26 09:06:58 · update #1
S = vt; where S is the distance of travel, v is the velocity of travel, and t is the time of travel. Thus, t = S/v = S/c = 3.1 X 10^19 m/1 X 10^16 m/year; where c = light speed in a vacuum. You can do the math.
FYI, our known universe is 15 billion light years in radius, with planet Earth in the center. That means the time for the light from the furthest stars, out on the rim, to reach Mt. Palomar on Earth, would would take t = S/c = 15 X 10^9 light years/1 light year per year = ? years. Careful, this question is something like asking who's buried in Grant's tomb.
2007-05-26 09:21:37 · answer #1 · answered by oldprof 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is pretty straight forward. You are given a distance to a planet and you are given the speed of light. You simply have to divide the distance by the speed to find the time it takes since
Time = Distance/Speed
The answer you get will be expressed in years since your speed in given in meters/year. If you need any more help post some additional comments. Hope this helps :-)
2007-05-26 16:22:11 · answer #2 · answered by pluto035 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3.1 x 10^3 years
2007-05-26 16:02:55 · answer #3 · answered by jrplane13 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3.1x10^3 years
2007-05-26 16:03:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here's the answer:
Do x your x own ^ ~% homework.
2007-05-26 16:02:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋