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The speed of light in vacuum is 3 × 10 8 m/s. Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach the Earth. Express distance of the Sun from Earth in standard form

Last Updated : 18 Jan, 2024
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To calculate this distance, we use the formula:

Distance = Speed × Time

Given:

  • Speed of Light in Vacuum: 3 × 10⁸ m/s
  • Time for Sunlight to Reach Earth: About 8 minutes

Since we need the time in seconds for our calculation, we convert 8 minutes to seconds:

8 minutes= 8 × 60 seconds = 480 seconds

Now, let us calculate the distance:

Distance =3 × 108 m/s × 480 s = 1.44 × 1011 meters

So, the distance from the Sun to Earth is 1.44 × 10¹¹ meters. This distance is also referred to as 1 Astronomical Unit (AU), which is a standard unit of measurement in astronomy for expressing distances within our solar system.


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