Example Question - distance light travels
Here are examples of questions we've helped users solve.
Calculating Light Year and Time Travel
Let's solve the question in two parts as requested. (a) To show the distance light travels in one year, known as a light year, we need to multiply the speed of light by the number of seconds in a year. Speed of light = 3.00 x 10^8 metres per second Seconds per minute = 60 Minutes per hour = 60 Hours per day = 24 Days per year ≈ 365.25 (accounting for leap years) Seconds in a year = Seconds per minute x Minutes per hour x Hours per day x Days per year Seconds in a year = 60 x 60 x 24 x 365.25 Seconds in a year ≈ 31,557,600 Distance light travels in one year = Speed of light x Seconds in a year Distance ≈ 3.00 x 10^8 m/s x 3.15576 x 10^7 s Distance ≈ 9.46728 x 10^15 metres This value is approximately 9.5 x 10^15 metres, as required. (b) To find the time, in seconds, that light takes to travel 180 metres, we use the formula: Speed = Distance / Time Time = Distance / Speed Given distance = 180 metres Speed of light = 3.00 x 10^8 metres per second Time = 180 m / (3.00 x 10^8 m/s) Time = 1.80 x 10^2 m / 3.00 x 10^8 m/s Time = 0.60 x 10^(-6) seconds Time = 6.00 x 10^(-7) seconds Therefore, the light takes 6.00 x 10^(-7) seconds to travel 180 metres. This answer is already in standard form.
Calculating the Distance Light Travels in One Year
To show that the distance light travels in one year is approximately \( 9.5 \times 10^{15} \) meters, we follow these steps: 1. Calculate the number of seconds in one year: - There are 60 seconds in a minute. - There are 60 minutes in an hour. - There are 24 hours in a day. - There are 365 days in a year (ignoring leap years for this calculation). So, the number of seconds in a year is: \( 60 \times 60 \times 24 \times 365 = 31,536,000 \) seconds. 2. Multiply the number of seconds by the speed of light: The speed of light is given as \( 3.00 \times 10^8 \) meters per second. Therefore, the distance light travels in one year is: \( 31,536,000 \text{ seconds/year} \times 3.00 \times 10^8 \text{ meters/second} \) 3. Perform the multiplication: \( 31,536,000 \text{ s} \times 3.00 \times 10^8 \text{ m/s} = 9.4608 \times 10^{15} \text{ meters} \) Therefore, to two significant figures, the distance light travels in one year is approximately \( 9.5 \times 10^{15} \) meters, as requested to show.
CamTutor
In regards to math, we are professionals.
Get In Touch
Email: camtutor.ai@gmail.com