To find the time it takes for the asteroid to hit Mercury, we need to divide the distance between the asteroid and Mercury (6.622 * 10^8 miles) by the rate at which it is approaching (15.4 * 10^6 miles/hour).
To divide numbers in scientific notation, we divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents.
(6.622 * 10^8 miles) / (15.4 * 10^6 miles/hour) = (6.622 / 15.4) * 10^(8 - 6) = 0.429 OD * 10^2 = 4.29 * 10^(-0.6875) hours
Therefore, it will take approximately 4.29 * 10^(-0.6875) hours for the asteroid to hit Mercury.
An asteroid is heading toward Mercury at a rate of 15.4 x10 mi./hr. If the asteroid is 6.622 * 10 ^ 8 miles away from Mercury, how many hours will it be before it hits Mercury? Write the answer in scientific notation, expressed to the exact decimal place.
1 answer