Question

The average separation between the sun and the earth in terms of light years is 8.311 minutes. Here, minutes indicate:

• A. Speed
• B. Time
• C. Velocity
• D. Distance

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Distance

Understanding Light Travel Time

The Concept of Light Minutes

• The statement "The average separation between the sun and the earth in terms of light years is 8.311 minutes" is a common way to express astronomical distances.

• In this context, 'minutes' refers to the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth. It is not a unit of angular measurement or a duration in a terrestrial sense, but rather a measure of distance based on the speed of light.

Light-Year vs. Light-Minute

• A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year.

• A light-minute is the distance light travels in one Earth minute.

• The Sun-Earth distance is approximately 150 million kilometers (93.2 million miles).

• Light travels at approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (186,282 miles per second).

• Therefore, calculating the time it takes for light to reach Earth from the Sun: 150,000,000 km / 299,792 km/s ≈ 500 seconds.

• Since there are 60 seconds in a minute, 500 seconds is approximately 8.33 minutes (500 / 60). The value 8.311 minutes is a more precise calculation.