The sun is 93 million miles from Earth and light travels at a rate of 186,000 miles per second. How long does it take for light from the sun to reach the Earth?
8.5 minutes.
5 minutes.
6.5 minutes.
7 minutes.
Detailed Explanation
The correct answer is 8.5 minutes. Light travels at a speed of approximately 186,000 miles per second. Given that the distance between the sun and the Earth is about 93 million miles, we can calculate the time it takes for light to travel this distance by dividing the distance by the speed of light:
Time = Distance / Speed
Time = 93,000,000 miles / 186,000 miles per second
Time ≈ 500 seconds
Converting seconds to minutes:
Time ≈ 8.33 minutes
Rounding to the nearest minute, we get approximately 8.5 minutes. Therefore, it takes light about 8.5 minutes to travel from the sun to the Earth.
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