What is the approximate diameter of the moon.

[zman459]

the moon subtends an angle of 9.06 x 10^-3 radians amd os 3.84 x 10^8 meters from the earth. What is the approximate diameter of the moon.

so i think it has something to do with formula R=S/theta but I'm not sure how to compare the moon and the Earth information to find the diameter of the moon please help!

 

[Andrew Mason]

the moon subtends an angle of 9.06 x 10^-3 radians amd os 3.84 x 10^8 meters from the earth. What is the approximate diameter of the moon.

so i think it has something to do with formula R=S/theta but I'm not sure how to compare the moon and the Earth information to find the diameter of the moon please help!

Think of a circle around the Earth with radius = distance to the moon. The moon takes up only a small part of that circumference. Find the circumference of that circle. The distance the moon occupies on that circumference is the diameter of the moon. How is that distance related to the angle the moon subtends?

AM

 

[kyle8921]

The approximate diameter of the moon can be calculated by using the formula R = S/theta, where R is the distance from the moon to Earth, S is the diameter of the moon, and theta is the angle subtended by the moon. In this case, we know that R = 3.84 x 10^8 meters and theta = 9.06 x 10^-3 radians. Therefore, we can rearrange the formula to solve for S, which gives us S = R x theta. Plugging in the values, we get S = 3.84 x 10^8 meters x 9.06 x 10^-3 radians = 3.48 x 10^6 meters. This is the approximate diameter of the moon, which is about 3,480 kilometers. It is important to note that this is an approximation and the actual diameter of the moon may vary slightly.