Light travels at an approximate rate of 1.9×10^5 mi./sec. There are about 3.2×10^7 seconds in a year. About how many miles does light travel in a year? Write the answer in scientific notation. Express the answer to the exact decimal place.

Answer 1

To find how many miles light travels in a year, we can multiply the rate of light by the number of seconds in a year:

1.9×10^5 mi./sec * 3.2×10^7 sec/year

When multiplying numbers in scientific notation, we multiply the coefficients and add the exponents:

(1.9 * 3.2) × (10^5 * 10^7) mi.

= 6.08 × 10^(5+7) mi.

= 6.08 × 10^12 mi.

Therefore, light travels approximately 6.08 × 10^12 miles in a year.