How Far Does Light Travel in 83.8 Hours?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the distance light travels in a specified time frame of 83.8 hours, focusing on the speed of light and unit conversions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to calculate the distance using the speed of light but express confusion over their results and the question itself. Some participants raise analogies to clarify the concept of distance over time.

Discussion Status

The conversation reflects a mix of attempts to clarify the problem and explore the correct application of units and conversions. There is no explicit consensus, but participants are engaging with the question and each other's reasoning.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of a teacher marking answers wrong, indicating potential misunderstandings in the application of the speed of light or unit conversions. Participants are questioning the assumptions behind their calculations and the interpretation of the problem.

cwalker8184
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How many meters will light travel in 83.8 hours?

what I came up with is

(3x10 m/s) (83.8hr) = 2.5 14 x 10

answer
2.5 14x10 m

teacher marked it wrong very confused.
 
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cwalker8184 said:
How many meters will light travel in 83.8 hours?

what I came up with is

(3x10 m/s) (83.8hr) = 2.5 14 x 10

answer
2.5 14x10 m

teacher marked it wrong very confused.

I hope you really meant 3x108 m/s for the speed of light.

Ponder this:

If you travel at 30 miles per hour for 10 minutes will you end up 300 miles away?

If you walk at 2 m/s for 8 hours will you be just 16m away.

Hopefully you see the problem in those two, and should thus get the problem with your answer.
 
No, that was the exact question. I took a Physical Science test and I got it wrong.

1. How many meters will light travel in 83.8 hours?

I totally did not understand the question.
 
cwalker8184 said:
No, that was the exact question. I took a Physical Science test and I got it wrong.

1. How many meters will light travel in 83.8 hours?

I totally did not understand the question.

well it travels 3x108 metres in one second
so
60 times 3x108 metres in one minute
so
60 times 60 times 3x108 metres in one hour
so
83.8 times 60 times 60 times 3x108 metres in 83.8 hours

Did you understand that driving at 30 miles an hour for 10 minutes won't get you 300 miles away?
Did you understand that walking at 2 m/s for 8 hours will get you more than 16 m away?

Do you know how far that driving would get you, and how far you would walk?
 

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