Mars is roughly 60 million km from Earth. How long does it take for a radio signal originating from Earth to reach Mars?

Short Answer

Expert verified
It takes 200 seconds for a radio signal originating from Earth to reach Mars, based on the given distance of 60 million km and the speed of light \( (3 \times 10^5\) km/s).

Step by step solution

01

Given Information

First, let's write down the information given in the problem: Distance from Earth to Mars = 60 million km Speed of radio signals (speed of light, c) = 300,000 km/s We need to find the time taken for a radio signal to cover this distance at the said speed.
02

Set up the equation

The formula for calculating the time taken to travel a certain distance is: time = distance / speed In this case, we need to find the time taken to travel the distance between Earth and Mars, which is 60 million km, at the speed of light, which is approximately 300,000 km/s. So the equation becomes: time = (60 million km) / (300,000 km/s)
03

Solve the equation

Now, let's solve the equation by plugging in the given values: time = (60 x 10^6 km) / (300,000 km/s) time = 200 s So, it takes 200 seconds for a radio signal originating from Earth to reach Mars.

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