Question

A plate moving at a rate of 3 cm/year is moving toward a plate that is 1,500 km away. In how many years will the plates collide?

50,000,000 years
50,000 years
5,000 years
500 years

Answer 1

To find out how many years it will take for the plates to collide, we can use the formula:

\[
\text{Time} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Rate}}
\]

Here, the distance between the two plates is given as 1,500 km, which we need to convert into centimeters because the rate of movement is in cm/year.

1 kilometer is equal to 100,000 centimeters, so:

\[
1,500 \text{ km} = 1,500 \times 100,000 \text{ cm} = 150,000,000 \text{ cm}
\]

Now, we can calculate the time it takes for collision using the rate of 3 cm/year:

\[
\text{Time} = \frac{150,000,000 \text{ cm}}{3 \text{ cm/year}} = 50,000,000 \text{ years}
\]

Therefore, the plates will collide in **50,000,000 years**.