The approximate average distances from the sun to Earth and Mercury are listed below:

Question

Earth: 1, point, 5, times, 10, to the power 81.5×10
8
kilometers
Mercury: 5, point, 7, 9, times, 10, to the power 75.79×10
7
kilometers
How much closer to the sun is Mercury? Express your answer using scientific notation.

Answer 1

To find how much closer Mercury is to the Sun compared to the Earth, we need to subtract the distance from the Sun to Mercury from the distance from the Sun to Earth.

Given:

• Distance from the Sun to Earth: \(1.5 \times 10^8\) kilometers
• Distance from the Sun to Mercury: \(5.79 \times 10^7\) kilometers

Now we perform the subtraction:

Distance from Earth to Mercury: \[ 1.5 \times 10^8 - 5.79 \times 10^7 \]

To perform this subtraction, we need to express both numbers with the same exponent. We can convert \(1.5 \times 10^8\) to \(15.0 \times 10^7\):

\[ 15.0 \times 10^7 - 5.79 \times 10^7 \]

Now, subtract:

\[ (15.0 - 5.79) \times 10^7 = 9.21 \times 10^7 \]

So, the distance that Mercury is closer to the Sun compared to Earth is:

\[ \boxed{9.21 \times 10^7} \text{ kilometers} \]