One of the nearest stars is Alpha Centauri, whose distance is 4.2 * 10¹⁶ m. How long does it take light to travel from Alpha Centauri to us? A) 1.25 seconds B) 8.3 minutes C) 4.4 years D) 560 years E) 6,200 years

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To calculate this, we can use the formula:
time = distance / speed of light
Plugging in the given distance of 4.2 × 10^16 meters and the speed of light, which is approximately 3 × 10^8 meters per second, we get:
time = (4.2 × 10^16 meters) / (3 × 10^8 meters per second)
time = 1.4 × 10^8 seconds
This is equivalent to approximately 4.4 years. Therefore, the answer is C.

One of the Nearest Stars Is Alpha Centauri, Whose Distance