10 points to whoever can answer this gnarly math/astronomy question?

August 19, 2010
By stillaig

Hi everyone, I’m sorry that this is really a math/astronomy question but the jr high kids have the math page moving so fast asking how to factor equations it’s hard to get an answer.

Here is my problem:

The solar energy hitting 1 square meter of the Earth’s surface is 1360 J/s (the solar constant).

How long does it take a baseball diamond (90 ft on a side) to receive 1 megaton of solar energy?

(Hint: A 1 megaton hydrogen bomb produces about 4 x 10^15 J)

I’ve made some decent progress but still need help. Physics page, you’re my only hope!

Thx

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2 Responses to “ 10 points to whoever can answer this gnarly math/astronomy question? ”

  1. ozo on August 19, 2010 at 6:53 am

    Find the area of the baseball diamond, I’ll call it A.

    The answer you’re looking for will be (4*10^15)/(1360*A) seconds

    So taking the baseball area to be 90*90 ft² = 8100 ft² = 752.51 m²

    Time taken is:

    (4*10^15) / (1360 * 752.51) = 3.9*10^9 seconds = 123 years 10 months and about 7 days.

  2. gkltdd on August 19, 2010 at 7:12 am

    1. Convert 90 ft to meters.
    2. Multiply this times 1360 J/s
    3. Divide 4 x 10^15J by the answer you got in (2.)

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