An asteroid is heading toward Mars at the rate of 7.7×10^4 mi./hr. If the asteroid is 3.311×10^8 miles away from Mars, how many hours will it be before it hits Mars? Write the answer in scientific notation, expressed to the exact decimal place.

1 answer

To find how many hours it will take for the asteroid to hit Mars, we need to divide the distance between the asteroid and Mars by the speed at which the asteroid is traveling.

Distance = 3.311×10^8 miles
Speed = 7.7×10^4 mi./hr

The time it will take for the asteroid to hit Mars can be calculated as follows:

Time = Distance / Speed

Time = (3.311×10^8 miles) / (7.7×10^4 mi./hr)

Dividing the numbers, we get:

Time = 4.2974025974 × 10^3 hrs

Therefore, it will take approximately 4.297 × 10^3 hours for the asteroid to hit Mars.