Radio signals travel at a rate of 3 × 10^8 meters per second. How many seconds would it take for a radio signal to travel from a satellite to the surface of Earth if the satellite is orbiting at a height of 3.6 × 10^7 meters? (Hint: Time is distance divided by rate.)

Answer 1

First, we need to calculate the total distance that the radio signal would travel from the satellite to the surface of Earth. Since the satellite is orbiting at a height of 3.6 × 10^7 meters, the total distance can be calculated as the sum of the radius of the Earth (6.37 × 10^6 meters) and the height of the satellite:

Total distance = 6.37 × 10^6 meters + 3.6 × 10^7 meters
Total distance = 4.237 × 10^7 meters

Next, we can calculate the time it would take for the radio signal to travel this distance at a rate of 3 × 10^8 meters per second:

Time = Total distance / Rate
Time = 4.237 × 10^7 meters / 3 × 10^8 meters per second
Time = 1.4123 × 10^-1 seconds

Therefore, it would take approximately 0.14123 seconds for a radio signal to travel from a satellite orbiting at a height of 3.6 × 10^7 meters to the surface of Earth.