Question

The diameter of our disk-shaped galaxy, the Milky Way, is about 1.0 x 10^5 light-years (ly). The distance to the Andromeda galaxy, which is the spiral galaxy nearest to the Milky Way, is about 2.0 million ly. If a scale model represents the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies as dinner plates 25 cm in diameter, determine the distance between the centers of the two plates.

Answer 1

Answer:

500 cm

Explanation:

Diameter of Milky Way = $1\times 10^5\ ly$

Here, this distance is equal = 25 cm

$1\times 10^5\ ly=25\ cm$

$\\\Rightarrow 1\ cm=\frac{1}{25}\times 10^5\ ly\\\Rightarrow 1\ cm=0.04\times 10^5\ ly\\\Rightarrow 1\ ly=\frac{1}{0.04\times 10^5}\ cm$

Distance between the Andromeda galaxy and Milky Way is 2 million ly

$2\times 10^6\ ly=2\times 10^6\times \frac{1}{0.04\times 10^5}\\\Rightarrow 2\times 10^6\ ly=500\ cm$

Hence, the plates would be 500 cm apart