Home
Class 11
PHYSICS
The parallax method has been used for me...

The parallax method has been used for measuring distances of stars, which are

A

lass then 100 light years away

B

more the 100 light years away

C

neither less nor more then 100 light years away

D

none of above

Text Solution

AI Generated Solution

The correct Answer is:
To solve the question regarding the parallax method for measuring distances of stars, we can break it down into the following steps: ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding Parallax**: The parallax method involves observing a star from two different positions in Earth's orbit around the Sun. The apparent shift in position of the star against the background of more distant stars is measured. 2. **Defining the Parameters**: - Let’s denote the distance from the Earth to the star as \( L \). - The distance between the two observation points (the baseline) is \( x \), which is typically the diameter of Earth's orbit (about 2 AU or approximately \( 3 \times 10^{11} \) meters). - The angle of parallax formed at the star due to this baseline is \( \theta \). 3. **Using the Parallax Formula**: - The relationship between the distance \( L \), the baseline \( x \), and the angle \( \theta \) can be expressed as: \[ \theta = \frac{L}{x} \] - Rearranging this gives: \[ L = x \cdot \theta \] 4. **Limitations of the Method**: - The angle \( \theta \) must be small for the approximation to hold true. If \( L \) is too large (greater than 100 light years), the angle \( \theta \) becomes too large, and the simple linear relationship breaks down. - Thus, the parallax method is effective for measuring distances to stars that are less than 100 light years away. 5. **Conclusion**: - Therefore, the parallax method is used for measuring distances of stars that are **less than 100 light years** away. ### Final Answer: The parallax method has been used for measuring distances of stars which are **less than 100 light years**. ---
Promotional Banner

Topper's Solved these Questions

  • PHYSICAL WORLD AND MEASUREMENT

    PRADEEP|Exercise Fill in the blanks|50 Videos
  • PHYSICAL WORLD AND MEASUREMENT

    PRADEEP|Exercise Multiple choice questions - 1 NCRT|18 Videos
  • PHYSICAL WORLD AND MEASUREMENT

    PRADEEP|Exercise Problems for Practice|130 Videos
  • OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES

    PRADEEP|Exercise multiple choice Questions|13 Videos
  • PROPERTIES OF BULK MATTER

    PRADEEP|Exercise Multiple choice questions|7 Videos

Similar Questions

Explore conceptually related problems

Assertion : Parallax method cannot be used for measuring distance of stars morer then 100 light year away. Reason : Because parallax angle reduces so much that it cannot be measured accurately.

Triangulation method is used for measuring very long distances.

What is parallax method? How is it used to measure large distances?

Describe a method to measure distance of a hill.

Laser beams are used to measure long distances because