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Why does only a tiny fraction fraction of the total energy released by the sun reaches earth?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
The sun radiates in all directions, towards the earth, away from the earth, at right angles to the earth and so on. It radiates roughly equally in all these directions.
Suppose you could draw a sphere with the sun as its centre and radius = average distance between the earth and the sun (1 astronomical unit). Then the amount of incident energy is proportional to the area of cross section of the earth relative to the surface area of the sphere.
Now, mean earth-sun distance = 1 AU = 149,597,871 km
So surface area of sphere = 4*pi*r2 = 2.813*1017 km2
Radius of earth = 6371 km
Cross-sectional area of earth = 1.275*108 km2
So the earth occupies 1.275*108 /2.813*1017 of the surface area of the sphere and therefore receives 1.275*108 /2.813*1017 of the sun's energy output.
= 4.5*10-10 or approximately one half of one billionths.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
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one forth by jaden
What fraction of earth's history have human-like animals existed show work?
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What fraction of the earth is covered with water 141234?
It is approx 7/10: nothing at like 141234!
What percentage of the energy radiated by the sun reaches earthes surface?
Of the Sun's energy reaching Earth's atmosphere, just under 60% reaches the Earth's surface. Only a small fraction of the Sun's energy reaches Earth, of course. In fact it's only about 0.000000045 percent. So, the answer to the question is: about 0.000000025 percent.
How radiant energy reaches the earth?
It reaches earth as an electromagnetic wave.
What is one energy the reaches earth from the sun?
The energy that reaches the Earth from the sun is known as sunlight.
When energy from the sun reaches earth it is not?
absorbed by earth's core
Why do tornadoes comes in the Earth?
Tornadoes come from the energy released in a thunderstorm. As powerful as they are, tornadoes account for only a tiny fraction of the energy in a thunderstorm.
What form does suns energy have when it reaches earth?
The Sun's energy is given out mainly as "electromagnetic radiation". Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Heat is the main form the Sun's energy has when it reaches Earth, particularly the Earth's surface.
The suns energy reaches the earth as what type of energy?
The sun's energy reaches the Earth as solar radiation in the form of electromagnetic waves, primarily in the form of visible light and infrared radiation.
What is the main source of energy that reaches earth?
The Sun
What does the sun have to do with earth's energy budget?
The Sun plays a central role in Earth's energy budget by providing the primary source of energy that drives Earth's climate system. Solar radiation warms the Earth's surface, which in turn radiates heat back into the atmosphere. This energy exchange helps regulate the planet's temperature and fuels processes like photosynthesis and the water cycle.
The amount of the suns energy that reaches earth at a given time and place is?
The amount of the sun's energy that reaches Earth at a given time and place depends on factors such as the angle of incidence, atmospheric conditions, and geographic location. On average, about 1,366 watts per square meter of solar energy reaches the top of Earth's atmosphere, but not all of this energy reaches the surface due to absorption and scattering.
Solar energy travels to the earth in?
Energy from the sun travels to the earth's surface is brought here by electromagnetic radiation. Once the radiation reaches the planet, most of it is converted to heat.
How much of the Sun's energy reaches the earth and why?
half a billionth
