Answer to Question #88245 in Mechanics | Relativity for Ali

Question

If light travels for 7.2 minutes, how many meters does it travel?

Answer 1

We can find the distance traveled by the light from the formula:

$$s = ct,$$

here, $s$ is the distance traveled by the light during time $t$, $c = 3 \cdot 10^8 m/s$ is the speed of light.

Then, we get:

$$s = ct = 3 \cdot 10^8 \dfrac{m}{s} \cdot 7.2 min \cdot \dfrac{60 s}{1 min} = 1.3 \cdot 10^{11} m.$$

Answer:

$s = 1.3 \cdot 10^{11} m.$