Astronomers measure large distances in light-years. One light-year is the distance that light can travel in one year, or approximately 5.88 *10^12 miles. Suppose a star is 3.2 * 10^2 light-years from Earth. In scientific notation, approximately how many miles is it?

a. 1.88 x 10^12
b. 5.88 x 10^14
c. 3.2 x 10^15
d. 1.88 x 10^15

d = 5.88*10^12mi/light-yr. * 320light-yrs. = 1.88*10^15 miles.

To find approximately how many miles a star is when it is 3.2 * 10^2 light-years from Earth, we can multiply the given distance in light-years by the conversion factor of 5.88 *10^12 miles per light-year.

First, we calculate the product of 3.2 * 10^2 and 5.88 * 10^12:

(3.2 * 10^2) * (5.88 *10^12) = (3.2 * 5.88) * (10^2 * 10^12) = 18.816 * 10^(2+12) = 18.816 * 10^14

Therefore, the star is approximately 18.816 * 10^14 miles away from Earth.

In scientific notation, we write this as 1.88 x 10^15 (moving the decimal point one place to the left and adjusting the exponent).

So, the correct answer is d. 1.88 x 10^15.

To find the approximate number of miles for a star that is 3.2 * 10^2 light-years from Earth, we can multiply the distance in light-years by the number of miles in one light-year.

The distance in miles for 1 light-year is approximately 5.88 * 10^12 miles.

Therefore, the approximate number of miles for a star that is 3.2 * 10^2 light-years from Earth is:

(3.2 * 10^2) * (5.88 * 10^12) = (3.2 * 5.88) * (10^2 * 10^12) = 18.816 * 10^14 = 1.88 * 10^15

Therefore, the answer is:

d. 1.88 x 10^15