In order for an object to conserve it's total mechanical energy it is absolutely necessary that ?

Follow these directions and answer the questions. 1. set up the ripple tank as in previous investigations. 2. bend the rubber tube to form a "concave mirror" and place in the ripple tank. the water level must be below the top of the hose. 3. generate a few straight pulses with the dowel and observe the reflected waves. do the waves focus (come together) upon reflection? can you locate the place where the waves meet? 4. touch the water surface where the waves converged. what happens to the reflected wave? 5. move your finger twice that distance from the hose (2f = c of c, center of the curvature) and touch the water again. does the image (the reflected wave) appear in the same location (c of c)? you may have to experiment before you find the exact location. sometimes it is hard to visualize with the ripple tank because the waves move so quickly. likewise, it is impossible to "see" light waves because they have such small wavelengths and move at the speed of light. however, both are examples of transverse waves and behave in the same way when a parallel wave fronts hit a curved surface.

Light from the sun reaches the earth in 8.3 minutes. the velocity is 3.00 x 10^8 m/s. how far is earth from the sun? i know how to get to d = (3 x 10^8 m/s)(498 sec). i just don't know how to get from there to the answer being 1.5 x 10^11 m.

Could someone . i have tried to solve myself but my calculation is off