How to Calculate Radar Signal Round-Trip Time Between Earth and Mars
What is the formula to calculate the round-trip time for a radar signal between Earth and Mars?
A. Time = Distance / Speed of Light
B. Time = 2 x Distance / Speed of Light
C. Time = Distance / 2 x Speed of Light
D. Time = 2 x Distance / 2 x Speed of Light
The answer is B. Time = 2 x Distance / Speed of Light
When calculating the round-trip time for a radar signal between Earth and Mars, we use the formula: Time = 2 x Distance / Speed of Light.
Distance represents the distance between Earth and Mars, which in this case is 1.3 AU (Astronomical Units).
Speed of Light is a constant value in a vacuum, which is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second.
By plugging in the values, we get: Time = 2 x 1.3 AU / 299,792 km/s = 8.7 seconds.
Therefore, the radar signal would take approximately 8.7 seconds to complete a round-trip between Earth and Mars when the two planets are 1.3 AU apart.