Question

The speed of light is roughly 186,000 miles per second. How many minutes does it take for light to arrive from the sun, which is 93,000,000 miles away? Write your answer in the blank.

Short answer

8.33 minutes

Step-by-step solution

Calculate the Time in Seconds

Use the formula for time, which is distance divided by speed. Here, the distance is 93,000,000 miles and the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. \[ \text{Time (seconds)} = \frac{93,000,000 \text{ miles}}{186,000 \text{ miles/second}} \]

Simplify the Division

Perform the division to find the time in seconds. \[ \text{Time (seconds)} = \frac{93,000,000}{186,000} = 500 \text{ seconds} \]

Convert Seconds to Minutes

Convert the time from seconds to minutes by dividing by 60, since there are 60 seconds in a minute. \[ \text{Time (minutes)} = \frac{500 \text{ seconds}}{60} \approx 8.33 \text{ minutes} \]

Write the Final Answer

The time it takes for light to arrive from the sun is approximately 8.33 minutes. Fill in the blank with this number.

Key concepts

speed of light

The speed of light is one of the most fundamental constants in physics. Light travels incredibly fast at approximately 186,000 miles per second or roughly 299,792 kilometers per second. Because of this immense speed, light from celestial bodies like the sun can reach us in a short period despite the vast distances involved.

When discussing the speed of light, we use units like miles per second or kilometers per second to express just how fast it is. Understanding this speed helps in various scientific and astronomical calculations, such as determining the age of the universe or the distance between stars and planets. It's this enormous speed that allows light to cover distances that would take significantly longer to travel using conventional means.

For example, our exercise asks how long light from the sun takes to reach Earth, a practical application of knowing the speed of light. By knowing this speed, we can calculate the time it takes for light to travel from one point to another in space.

distance calculation

To calculate how long it takes light to travel a certain distance, we need to use a simple formula: distance divided by speed equals time. In the given exercise, we know the distance between the sun and the earth is 93,000,000 miles.

Using the formula for time, we have:

\[ \text{Time (seconds)} = \frac{93,000,000 \text{ miles}}{186,000 \text{ miles/second}} \] \[ = 500 \text{ seconds} \]

This calculation tells us that it takes light 500 seconds to travel from the sun to the Earth. This is a straightforward application of dividing the distance by the speed of light. Once we have the result in seconds, we can convert it to more convenient units of time, like minutes.

unit conversion

Conversions between different units of measurement are essential in many scientific calculations. In our exercise, the final step involves converting seconds into minutes. Since there are 60 seconds in a minute, we divide the time we calculated in seconds by 60.

\[ \text{Time (minutes)} = \frac{500 \text{ seconds}}{60} \]

Performing this division gives us approximately 8.33 minutes. So, despite the vast distance of 93,000,000 miles, light reaches us from the sun in just about 8.33 minutes. Understanding how to perform unit conversions ensures accuracy and makes the results more meaningful and interpretable for practical purposes.