What fraction of the light from the Sun is intercepted by the Earth? Clearly, th
ID: 290203 • Letter: W
Question
What fraction of the light from the Sun is intercepted by the Earth?
Clearly, this gives an upper bound to how much light the Earth reflects. To compute it, compare the cross section of the Earth (the area of a circle with radius REarth) to the area of a sphere centered on the Sun that has a radius equal to the radius of the orbit of the Earth (meaning, take the ratio of those two numbers). You can easily find sizes and distances on the Internet. Please express them in the same units to take a meaningful ratio (meter or kilometers will work best). SHOW YOUR WORK!
Explanation / Answer
Cross section of the earth = area of circle with radius of Earth Radius of earth = 6371 km Area of cros section = pi * 6371 * 6371 = 127451472.74 km2 the radius of the orbit of the Earth = 149.6 x 106 km Area of the sphere centered on the sun = 4 * pi * r * r = 4 * pi * 149.6 x 106 * 149.6 x 106 = 281094.8096 x 10 12 Ratio = 127451472.74 / 281094.8096 x 10 12 = 1: 2205504526.208
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