Question Details

The moon subtends an angle of 57 minutes at the base-line equal to the radius of the earth. What is the distance of the moon from the earth ? Radius of the earth = 6.4 x 10⁶ m.

Options

A

386x 10⁸ m

B

3.86x 10⁸ m

C

3860x 10⁸ m

D

5.86x 10⁸ m

Correct Answer :

3.86x 10⁸ m

Solution :

The correct option is: 3.86x 10⁸ m.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Understand the Given Information:
We are given:
- The angle subtended by the moon at the baseline of the earth, θ = 57 minutes (denoted as 57').
- The length of the baseline, which is equal to the radius of the earth, b = R = 6.4 x 10⁶ m.
We need to find the distance of the moon from the earth, D.

2. Convert the Angle into Radians:
To use the parallax formula, the angle θ must be in radians.
We know that:
- 1 degree = 60 minutes (60')
- 180 = π radians
So, 1 minute is:
1 ' = 1 60 degree = 1 60 × π 180 radians
Therefore, the angle θ in radians is:
θ = 57 × π 60 × 180 radians
Using π3.14159:
θ 57 × 0.000290888 0.01658 radians

3. Apply the Distance Formula:
The relation between the baseline b, distance D, and subtended angle θ (in radians) is given by:
θ = b D
Rearranging this formula to solve for the distance D:
D = b θ

4. Calculate the Distance:
Substitute the values of baseline b and angle θ into the equation:
D = 6.4 × 10 6 57 × 3.14159 60 × 180
D = 6.4 × 10 6 × 10800 57 × 3.14159
D = 69120000 179.07 385994 × 10 3 m
Expressing it in scientific notation:
D 3.86 × 10 8 m

Thus, the distance of the moon from the earth is approximately 3.86x 10⁸ m.

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