Astronomers measure large distances in light-years. One light-year is the distance that light can travel in one year, or approximately 5.88 × 1012 miles. Suppose a star is 9.8 × 101 light-years from Earth. In scientific notation, approximately how many miles is it?

Answer 1

To convert 9.8 × 10¹¹ light-years to miles, we can multiply it by the distance light travels in one year (5.88 × 10¹² miles).

9.8 × 10¹¹ light-years * 5.88 × 10¹² miles = 5.764 × 10²³ miles

Therefore, the star is approximately 5.764 × 10²³ miles away from Earth.

Answer 2

Astronomers measure large distances in light-years. One light-year is the distance that light can travel in one year, or approximately 5.88 × 1012 miles. Suppose a star is 9.8 × 101 light-years from Earth. In scientific notation, approximately how many miles is it?

A. 5.88 x 10^13 miles
B. 5.76 x 10^14 miles
C. 5.88 x 10^12 miles
D. 9.8 x 10^12 miles

Answer 3

To find the approximate distance in miles, we multiply the number of light-years by the distance light travels in one year.

9.8 x 10¹ light-years * 5.88 x 10¹² miles = 57.624 x 10¹³ miles

In scientific notation, 57.624 x 10¹³ miles is equal to 5.7624 x 10¹⁴ miles which is closest to option:

B. 5.76 x 10¹⁴ miles