Light travels approximately
5.87 X 10^12 miles in one year. This distance is called a light year. Suppose a star is 2 X 10^4 light years away. How many miles away is that star?
Please help with detailed steps to solve problem. Thanks.
To find the number of miles away a star is when it is given in light years, you need to multiply the distance in light years by the distance traveled by light in one year.
Let's break it down step by step:
Step 1: Convert the given distance in light years to scientific notation.
2 X 10^4 light years
Step 2: Determine the distance traveled by light in one year.
Light travels approximately 5.87 X 10^12 miles in one year.
Step 3: Multiply the distance in light years by the distance traveled by light in one year.
(2 X 10^4) x (5.87 X 10^12) miles
To multiply numbers in scientific notation, you multiply the numerical coefficients (2 x 5.87) and add the exponents (10^4 + 10^12).
= (2 x 5.87) X (10^4 + 10^12) miles
= 11.74 X 10^16 miles
Step 4: Convert the result back into standard form.
11.74 X 10^16 miles is equivalent to 1.174 X 10^17 miles.
Therefore, the star is approximately 1.174 X 10^17 miles away.