answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Scientists use light years to calculate distance because they can tell how far away things are in space by measuring how much time it takes for light to reach a certain point. It's just easier to say how many light years things are in space then to say in miles.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why do scientists use the speed of light to calculate distance?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

What is use by scientist to measure the distance light travel in one year?

Scientists don't measure the distance light travels in one year. They calculate it by measuring the speed of light. The speed is 300,000,000 meters/sec. and can be measured in the laboratory with a rotating mirror apparatus. To get the distance traveled by light in one year you multiply the speed (above) by the number of seconds in a year. The answer will come out in meters and is also called one light year.


How do they time the time it takes for the light coming from the sun to reach the earth?

Scientists measure the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to Earth using the speed of light. They know the distance between the Earth and the Sun and divide it by the speed of light to calculate the time it takes for sunlight to reach us. The speed of light is approximately 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second).


Distance measurements based on the speed of light?

Distance measurements using the speed of light involve determining the time it takes for light to travel a certain distance. By measuring this time and knowing the speed of light, one can calculate the distance. This principle is used in technologies such as radar, LiDAR, and GPS for accurate distance measurements.


Why can astronomers use the speed of light to calculate distances?

Because visible light is emitted at a known frequency (a time) and then it is as simple as Speed = Distance / Time therefore Distance = Speed x Time.


How do you calculate time from speed and distance?

time = distance ÷ speed


How do scientists measure distance in space?

Scientists measure distances in space using a variety of methods, including parallax, radar ranging, and analyzing the light emitted by objects in space. These techniques allow scientists to calculate distances based on the speed of light and the time it takes for light to travel between objects.


How do you calculate the speed time and distance?

Speed times Time = Distance


How calculate speed from time and distance?

Speed = distance divided by time


How to calculate speed of car from distance and time?

Speed = Distance divided by Time


Calculate speed of a car from distance and time?

SPEED = DISTANCE divided by TIME


What is the equation for average speed?

speed = distance/time --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- you calculate speed by the equation m/sec or cm/sec. This means that you would divide the distance by the time it took. Actually to measure the speed of light is an interesting and intelligent task done by the scientists. Because the speed of light is 300,000 km in one second which is actually incredible. Out of all those, Michelson's rotating octagonal mirror method is very important. In his experiment the equation to calculate the speed of light is speed of light = N n D. Here N = 8 as octagonal rotor is used. n - the number of rotations made by the rotor in one second. D - the total distance travelled by light. Michelson did this experiment keeping the observatory on one mountain, Mt.Wilson and a reflector on another mountain, Mt. Antonio separated by some 35 km.


What is the equation calculating speed?

speed = distance/time --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- you calculate speed by the equation m/sec or cm/sec. This means that you would divide the distance by the time it took. Actually to measure the speed of light is an interesting and intelligent task done by the scientists. Because the speed of light is 300,000 km in one second which is actually incredible. Out of all those, Michelson's rotating octagonal mirror method is very important. In his experiment the equation to calculate the speed of light is speed of light = N n D. Here N = 8 as octagonal rotor is used. n - the number of rotations made by the rotor in one second. D - the total distance travelled by light. Michelson did this experiment keeping the observatory on one mountain, Mt.Wilson and a reflector on another mountain, Mt. Antonio separated by some 35 km.