Math and scaling help?

[mordorbund]

Okay.

Part 1

Using the information given, answer the following questions (NOTE: if you need help with this

assignment, please visit the Math Lab or the Tutoring Center at the Academic Learning Center in the McKay Library). YOU MUST SHOW YOUR WORK TO GET FULL CREDIT.

a. The sun has a diameter of 1,392,000 km

b. The Earth has a diameter of 12,756 km

c. The moon has a diameter of 3,476 km

d. A basketball has a diameter of 0.23 m= .00023 km

e. A km equals 1000

f. The distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the moon is: 384,403 km

g. The distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the sun: 149,600,000 km

If the Earth was the size of a basketball, how big would the moon be?

WHOA!!! Are you serious? The earth just crazy shrunk and your first thought is of the moon? How's about what the devil shrunk the earth? Did it also shrink everything on the earth? I certainly hope so, because I can't solve this if I'm only breathing space-vacuum.

If I do survive, the moon is still 3,476 km. Apparently only the earth shrunk.

2. If the Earth was the size of a basketball, how far away would the moon be? Note: You need to scale the distance not just the planets. If you change the diameter/radius of the planet, you also have to change the distance between them.

I'm glad you added that note to clarify how the shrink ray works. In fact, I'm starting to suspect that it's based on the moon (Bond villain maybe? Marvin the Martian?).

Refer to Lizzy's post for the numbers, but I'm concerned that such a sudden change in distance is actually projecting the earth towards a lunar collision!

3. If the sun was the size of a basketball, how big would the Earth be?

Further shrinkage? Send out the space marines to destroy that moon base.

Once again, we are fortunate that only the sun was shrunk and not the basketball-earth.

4. If the sun was the size of a basketball, how far away would the Earth be? Note: You need to scale the distance not just the planets. If you change the diameter/radius of the planet, you also have to change the distance between them.

Lizzy has the exact numbers, but we now have a basketball-earth launched at a basketball sun. This should get addressed immediately. I propose the Justice League of America.

Part 2 D/R = T

Using the information given, answer the following questions (again, show your work).

The speed of light = 186,000 miles/second or 670,000,000 miles/hour

Distance from the surface of the Earth to the surface of the moon = 230,000 miles

Distance from the Earth to the sun = 93,000,000 miles

Distance from one side of the solar system to the other = 5,600,000,000 miles

Using D/R = T

Thank heaven that the distance has been restored. Superman, our worlds thank you.

5. How many miles can light travel in one year?

I'm afraid light can only travel to school and back until he gets his head on straight. So probably ~20 miles, a few blocks at a time.

6. How long would it take for light to go from the moon to the Earth?

A few seconds, but due to the laws of Relativity, it always feel faster coming back (unless the moon is a popular tourist destination, and everyone's leaving at once).

7. How long does it take for light from the sun to reach the Earth?

Uh, are we still on a basketball-planet? Cuz it's gonna be a cold year if our light is still from the basketball-sun 93 million miles away. Not because of how long it takes the light to get here, but because of the amount of coverage.

8. How long does it take for light to travel from one side of the solar system to the other?

I won't even answer this propoganda question so long as Pluto does not have a voice on the solar council of planets. Who do you think you are to kick Pluto out of the club without giving her a chance to defend herself (yes, Pluto is a girl. I guess you should have looked into that before naming her). You apparently don't think Mercurial beings should be in charge of your so-called rational decisions. And yet with no Plutonian representation you've given them the boot.

Maybe you deserve to be moon shrunk.