The velocity of light is 1.86 x 10^8 (to the eighth power) mi/hr. The distance Mercury from the sun is approx. 5.78 x 10^7 (to the seventh power) km. How many minutes will it take for light from the sun to travel to Mercury?
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The velocity of light in a vacuum is about 186,000 miles per second (not per hour).
If we use your distance of 57.8 million km (it actually ranges from 46 to 69 million km because of an elliptical orbit), then that's about 36 million miles.
Distance = rate * time
So the time = Distance / rate
36 million miles / 186,000 miles per second = the time in seconds
the time in seconds = 36 x 106 / 186,000
= 194 seconds
= 3.2 minutes
answered 2 months ago
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