Astronomers measure large distances in light years. One light year is the distance that light can travel in 1 year or approximantly. 5.88 × 10 to the 12 power miles. Suppose a star is 9.8 × 10 ^ one light years from Earth in scientific notation. Approximately how many miles is this

Answer 1

To find the number of miles, we need to convert the given distance from light years to miles.

Given: 1 light year = 5.88 × 10^12 miles

Distance to the star: 9.8 × 10^1 light years

To convert light years to miles, we need to multiply the given distance by the conversion factor:

9.8 × 10^1 light years * 5.88 × 10^12 miles/1 light year

= 9.8 × 5.88 × 10^1 × 10^12 (miles)

= 57.744 × 10^13 miles

Since the numbers are in scientific notation, we can simplify further:

57.744 × 10^13 miles = 5.7744 × 10^14 miles

Therefore, the star is approximately 5.7744 × 10^14 miles from Earth.