In: Physics
The Venus-Sun distance is 108 million kilometers, and the Earth-Sun distance is 150 million kilometers. Suppose an imaginary line from Venus to the Sun forms a right angle with an imaginary line from Earth to the Sun. How long would it take light to travel from the Sun to a spaceship halfway along the straight-line path between Venus and Earth? The time is in minutes.
Given,
Distance between sun and venus, OA = 108 milion km
Distance between sun and earth, OB = 150 million km
Since both are at right angle
Hence, distance between earth and venus, AB =
=
= =
= 184.84 million km
Now,
Straight line joining the middle point of hypotenuse of the right angled triangle to the right angle is half the hypotenuse.
Thus,
OD = AB/2 = 184.84/2
= 92.42 milliom km = 92.42 * 109 m
Speed of light, c = 3 * 108 m/s
Time taken by light to reach point D from sun, t = OD/c
= 92.42 * 109 / 3 * 108
= 308.066 sec
= 5.134 min
or time taken is 5.134 minutes