Janiya is taking a road trip. The distance she plans to travel can be written as 3×10^2

kilometers, 3×10^5
meters, 3×10^7
centimeters, or 3×10^8
millimeters. Which distance uses the most appropriate units?

1 answer

To determine which unit is the most appropriate for Janiya's road trip distance, we need to convert all the distances into a common unit.

  1. Kilometers: \[ 3 \times 10^2 \text{ km} = 300 \text{ km} \]

  2. Meters: \[ 3 \times 10^5 \text{ m} = 300,000 \text{ m} = 300 \text{ km} \text{ (since 1 km = 1000 m)} \]

  3. Centimeters: \[ 3 \times 10^7 \text{ cm} = 30,000,000 \text{ cm} = 300,000 \text{ m} = 300 \text{ km} \text{ (since 1 km = 100,000 cm)} \]

  4. Millimeters: \[ 3 \times 10^8 \text{ mm} = 300,000,000 \text{ mm} = 300,000 \text{ m} = 300 \text{ km} \text{ (since 1 km = 1,000,000 mm)} \]

Now, we have:

  • 300 km (kilometers)
  • 300 km (meters)
  • 300 km (centimeters)
  • 300 km (millimeters)

Since all distances are equivalent when converted, we should consider which unit is most appropriate for a road trip.

Kilometers are typically the preferred unit for expressing road distances, particularly for longer distances such as a road trip.

Therefore, the most appropriate units for Janiya's road trip distance would be 3 × 10^2 kilometers.