Light from the Sun travels to the Earth at a speed of 3.0 × 108 m / s.The time for the complete journey is 500 s.What is the average orbital speed of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun?A 60 m / sB 4.8 × 10 3 m / sC 3.0 × 104 m / sD 1.8 × 106 m /

The question is asking for the average orbital speed of the Earth. This can be found using the formula for speed, which is distance divided by time.

First, we need to find the distance that light travels from the Sun to the Earth. We know that light travels at a speed of 3.0 × 10^8 m/s and it takes 500 seconds for it to reach Earth. So, we multiply the speed of light by the time it takes to reach Earth to find the distance:

Distance = Speed × Time Distance = 3.0 × 10^8 m/s × 500 s Distance = 1.5 × 10^11 m

This distance is actually the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, also known as 1 Astronomical Unit (AU).

Next, we need to find the total distance that Earth travels in its orbit around the Sun. The Earth's orbit is nearly a circle, so we can use the formula for the circumference of a circle, which is 2πr, where r is the radius of the circle. In this case, the radius is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, which we found to be 1.5 × 10^11 m.

Total Distance = 2πr Total Distance = 2 × π × 1.5 × 10^11 m Total Distance = 9.42 × 10^11 m

Finally, we can find the average orbital speed of the Earth by dividing the total distance by the time it takes for Earth to complete one orbit. The time for one orbit is one year, but we need this time in seconds because our distance is in meters and we want our speed in m/s. There are about 31,536,000 seconds in a year.

Average Speed = Total Distance / Time Average Speed = 9.42 × 10^11 m / 31,536,000 s Average Speed = 2.99 × 10^4 m/s

So, the average orbital speed of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun is approximately 3.0 × 10^4 m/s. Therefore, the correct answer is C.