User:Bbscalcio15/sandbox

Misconception Light Year Light year is a measurement of distance. It is the distance that light travels in one year. In order to calculate the distance of a light year we need the velocity of light and the time in a year. Light's velocity is c (speed of light), c = 299,792,458 m / s (meters per second); this is the constant speed of light. The time in a year in seconds is 31,556,926 s (seconds). Using the basic physics equation for distance d = v * t (distance is equal to velocity times time) a light year can be calculated to be d = c * t (distance or a lighter year is equal to the speed of light times the time in a year) which is d = 299,792,458 m / s * 31,556,926 s when the values are plugged into the equation. The answer to the equation is 9,460,528,412,464,108 m (meters) which is 9,460,528,412,464 km (kilometers) or 5,878,499,818,848 miles. That means when the term light year is used it is meant to be roughly 9.5 billion kilometers or roughly 6 billion miles. One reason for the misconception about light year comes about because of the word year in the term, "light year". Most think of years being a measurement of time, which is accurate, but as explained and calculated earlier light year is distance. Another reason for the misconception about light year comes about because of the misconceptions concerning the relationship between time, motion, and distance. For example mph (mile per hour) this can be expressed as v = d / t (velocity is equal to distance divided by time). This is the same equation as earlier, but rearranged to solve for velocity. Time could be calculated with t = d / v. They are all related, but many do not truly understand mph and feel it is just some arbitrary measurement of speed not the distance traveled in an amount of time. An example of such a person can be found on this video on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aUOS9_XZyw. Motion can be summed up in one of two words velocity or acceleration. Velocity is the distance travel over time, so go back to mph. The velocity mph is the distance (one mile) over time (one hour), so if someone is traveling 80 mph they will travel 80 miles in one hour, or it will take one hour (60 minutes) to travel 80 miles, 20 mph 20 miles traveled in one hour, 40 mph 40 miles traveled in one hour. Acceleration is a little more complicated, but it is the distance traveled over time squared. An example of acceleration that many are familiar with is the 0-60 in the car world. This is how fast a car can accelerate from rest (0 mph) to 60 mph. According to Vehix the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has the fastest street legal 0-60 at 2.4 s. To calculate for acceleration use the physics equation Vƒ = Vo + a * t (final velocity is equal to initial velocity plus acceleration times time). The Vo = 0 mph, Vƒ = 60 mph, t = 2.4 s, with some calculating and rearranging a = (Vƒ - Vo) / t (acceleration is equal to final velocity minus initial velocity over time). Make sure there is common units so 1 hour is equal to 3600 seconds 60 mph is equal to 0.016667 mps (miles per second), so acceleration of the Bugatti is a = (0.016667 mps - 0 mps) / 2.4 s which is equal to 0.006944 mps^2 (miles per second squared) or mi./s^2. This illustrates that both equations used to find velocity and acceleration are equations of distance over time. Because time is excluded from many peoples idea of motion light year is confused with a measurement of time and not a distance.

References: http://www.goldstandard-mcat.com/physics-equation-lists/ http://www.vehix.com/articles/top-10-list/5-fastest-0-60-cars-you-can-legally-drive-on-the-road/5