Question

a plate moving at a rate of 3 cm/year is moving toward a plate that is 1,500 km away. in how many years will the plates collide?
50,000,000 years
50,000 years
5,000 years
500 years

Explanation:

Step1: Convert kilometers to centimeters

Since \(1\ km = 100000\ cm\), then \(1500\ km=1500\times100000 = 150000000\ cm\)

Step2: Use the formula \(t=\frac{d}{v}\)

where \(d\) is distance and \(v\) is velocity. Here \(d = 150000000\ cm\) and \(v=3\ cm/year\). So \(t=\frac{150000000}{3}=50000000\) years

Answer:

50,000,000 years