Speed of light; distance from earth to sun

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the time it would take for the effect of the sun being extinguished to be visible on Earth, given the average distance from the Earth to the sun and the speed of light. The subject area includes concepts from physics related to speed, distance, and time.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster expresses uncertainty about how to begin the problem and seeks guidance on the initial steps. Some participants provide hints related to the relationship between speed, distance, and time. The poster questions the conversion of units and the next steps in the calculation.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing hints and suggestions for unit conversion. There is no explicit consensus yet, but guidance has been offered regarding the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

The problem requires unit conversions between miles and meters, as well as time conversions from seconds to minutes, which are currently under discussion.

lonelyassassin
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Ok, I got this problem and I don't know where to start...

"The average distance from the Earth to the sun is 9.30 x 10^7 miles. Light travels at a speed of 3.00 x 10^8 meters per second. If the sun were to be suddenly extinguished, how many minutes would it take for the effect to be visible here on earth? Show work."

Can someone tell me how do I start?
 
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Hi there lonelyassassin and welcome to PF,

HINT:

Speed = \frac{Distance}{Time}
 
Ok, from your hint, I got:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8793/work1bu5.jpg

First of all, am I on the right track?
If I am, then the next step should be to factor label to get to minutes, but the meter/second is on both the denominator and numerator. And the miles is already on the numerator.

Can you tell me how to proceed now?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Convert miles to meters or convert meters/second into miles/second and you'll have your answer.
 

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