Light travels at an approximate rate of 1.9×105

miles per second.

There are about 3.2×107
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.

(1 point)
Responses

6.08×1035
6 point 0 8 times 10 to the 35th power

5.1×1012
5 point 1 times 10 to the 12th power

6.08×1012
6 point 0 8 times 10 to the 12th power

3.2×1035

1 answer

To find out how many miles light travels in a year, you can multiply the speed of light by the number of seconds in a year.

Given:

  • Speed of light = \(1.9 \times 10^5\) miles per second
  • Seconds in a year = \(3.2 \times 10^7\) seconds

Now, calculate the distance light travels in one year:

\[ \text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} = (1.9 \times 10^5 \text{ miles/second}) \times (3.2 \times 10^7 \text{ seconds}) \]

Using the rules of multiplying scientific notation:

  1. Multiply the coefficients: \(1.9 \times 3.2 = 6.08\)

  2. Add the exponents: \(10^5 \times 10^7 = 10^{(5 + 7)} = 10^{12}\)

Combining these, we have:

\[ \text{Distance} = 6.08 \times 10^{12} \text{ miles} \]

Thus, the answer in scientific notation is:

\[ \boxed{6.08 \times 10^{12}} \]

So the correct response is \(6.08 \times 10^{12} \) miles, i.e., \(6 \text{ point } 0 8 \text{ times } 10 \text{ to the } 12\text{th power}\).