Think of our Milky Way Galaxy as a flat circular disk of diameter 100,000 light-years. Suppose we are one of 1000 civilizations, randomly distributed through the disk, interested in communicating via radio waves. How far away in light years would the nearest such civilization be from us on average? Show your working. (Hint: Begin by calculating the area of the disk. Find the area of one of a 1,000 squares. Consider the separation of the centres of two adjacent squares.)
Think of our Milky Way Galaxy as a flat circular disk of diameter 100,000 light-years. Suppose we are one of 1000 civilizations, randomly distributed through the disk, interested in communicating via radio waves. How far away in light years would the nearest such civilization be from us on average? Show your working. (Hint: Begin by calculating the area of the disk. Find the area of one of a 1,000 squares. Consider the separation of the centres of two adjacent squares.)
Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Chapter30: Life In The Universe
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 31E: Think of our Milky Way Galaxy as a flat disk of diameter 100,000 light-years. Suppose we are one of...
Related questions
Question
Think of our Milky Way Galaxy as a flat circular disk of diameter 100,000 light-years. Suppose we are one of 1000 civilizations, randomly distributed through the disk, interested in communicating via radio waves. How far away in light years would the nearest such civilization be from us on average? Show your working. (Hint: Begin by calculating the area of the disk. Find the area of one of a 1,000 squares. Consider the separation of the centres of two adjacent squares.)
Expert Solution
This question has been solved!
Explore an expertly crafted, step-by-step solution for a thorough understanding of key concepts.
This is a popular solution!
Trending now
This is a popular solution!
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Recommended textbooks for you
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:
9781938168284
Author:
Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:
OpenStax
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:
9781337399944
Author:
Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:
9781938168284
Author:
Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:
OpenStax
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:
9781337399944
Author:
Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:
9781337399920
Author:
Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:
Cengage Learning