Astronomers measure large distances in light years. One light year is the distance that light can travel in 1 year or approximantly. 5.88 × 10 to the 12 power miles. Suppose a star is 9.8 × 10 ^ one light years from Earth in scientific notation. Approximately how many miles is this
To find the number of miles, we need to convert the given distance from light years to miles.
Given: 1 light year = 5.88 × 10^12 miles
Distance to the star: 9.8 × 10^1 light years
To convert light years to miles, we need to multiply the given distance by the conversion factor:
9.8 × 10^1 light years * 5.88 × 10^12 miles/1 light year
= 9.8 × 5.88 × 10^1 × 10^12 (miles)
= 57.744 × 10^13 miles
Since the numbers are in scientific notation, we can simplify further:
57.744 × 10^13 miles = 5.7744 × 10^14 miles
Therefore, the star is approximately 5.7744 × 10^14 miles from Earth.