A Spaceship from Another Galaxy Passes Over the Solar System

question 14

Multiple Choice

A spaceship from another galaxy passes over the solar system directly above a radial line from the sun to the Earth. (We measure that distance to be 1.5 × 10¹¹ m.) On Earth, the spaceship is observed to be traveling at a speed of 0.80 c, for which γ = 5/3. As measured on Earth it takes the spaceship 625 seconds to travel from the sun to Earth. When a scientist in the spaceship measures the Earth-sun distance and the time it takes her to travel that distance, she finds the results are respectively

• A) 9.0 × 10¹⁰ m; 375 s.
• B) 9.0 × 10¹⁰ m; 625 s.
• C) 1.5 × 10¹¹ m; 625 s.
• D) 2.5 × 10¹¹ m; 625 s.
• E) 2.5 × 10¹¹ m; 1042 s.

---

Definitions:

Cognitive

Relating to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning.

Channel Overload

The state that occurs when a communication channel is overwhelmed with too much information, leading to decreased effectiveness.

Information Overload

A state where an individual or system is overwhelmed by the quantity of information available, making processing and decision-making difficult.

Noise

Unwanted or disruptive sounds; in communication, it refers to any interference that distorts or hinders the clear transmission of a message.