Question

If Earth was 10 times farther away from the sun than it is now, which planet would it be
closest to? (Assume all the planets are aligned with the sun and are on the same side of the
sun.) Compare Earth's new distance to that planet. How far apart would they be in standard
notation? How far apart in scientific notation? Show your work.

Answer 1

If Earth was 10 times farther away from the sun than it is now, it would be closest to the planet Saturn.

Currently, Earth's average distance from the sun is approximately 93 million miles (93,000,000 miles). If Earth was 10 times farther away, its new distance from the sun would be 930 million miles (930,000,000 miles).

Saturn, on the other hand, is currently approximately 886 million miles (886,000,000 miles) away from the sun. So, Earth would be slightly closer to the sun compared to Saturn.

In standard notation, the distance between Earth and Saturn would be the difference between their distances from the sun:
930 million miles - 886 million miles = 44 million miles.

In scientific notation, the distance between Earth and Saturn would be:
9.30 x 10^7 miles - 8.86 x 10^7 miles = 4.4 x 10^6 miles.