Light travels at an approximate rate of 1.9 × 105 mi./sec. There are about 3.2 x 10° seconds in a year. About how many miles does light travel in a year? Write the answer in scientific notation.

Question

Express the answer to the exact decimal place.

Answer 1

To calculate the distance light travels in a year, we need to multiply the speed of light by the number of seconds in a year.

Speed of light = 1.9 x 10^5 mi/sec
Number of seconds in a year = 3.2 x 10^7 sec

Distance traveled in a year = (1.9 x 10^5 mi/sec) * (3.2 x 10^7 sec)
Distance traveled in a year = 6.08 x 10^12 mi

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