At the Earth's orbital distance,the intensity of the solar radiation is approximately 1400 W/m².What is the value for the intensity at Mercury's orbital distance,which is 38.7% the distance to the sun that the Earth is. A) 2280 W/m² B) 3800 W/m² C) 9300 W/m² D) 540 W/m²

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The intensity of solar radiation is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the sun and the planet. Therefore,

Intensity at Mercury's distance = Intensity at Earth's distance * (Distance at Earth's orbit / Distance at Mercury's orbit)^2
= 1400 * (1 / 0.387)^2
= 1400 * 6.203
= 8682 W/m^2

Therefore, the closest choice is D, 540 W/m^2.

At the Earth's Orbital Distance,the Intensity of the Solar Radiation