The problem states: Saturn is approximately 1.4x 10 to the 9th power kilometers from the Sun. If light travels at approx. 3.0 x 10 to the 5th power kilometers per second, how long does it take light from the Sun to reach Saturn? Express your answer in scientific notation.
The answers are: 4.7 x 10 to the 4th power, 4700 sec, 4.7 x 10 to the 3rd, or 47 x 10 to the 3rd.
I used the formula t=d/r
1.4 x 10 to the 9th power divided by 3.0 x 10 to the 5th power leaves 0.4666 x 10 to the 4th power.
I think the answer is 4.7 x 10 to the 3rd power. Is this correct?
Yes, that is right. You are also correct to round it off to two significant figures. Your answer is in seconds - It's about an hour and a half.
To calculate the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to Saturn, you can use the formula: time = distance / speed.
In this case, the given distance is 1.4 x 10^9 kilometers, and the speed of light is approximately 3.0 x 10^5 kilometers per second.
Substituting these values into the formula, you get:
time = (1.4 x 10^9 km) / (3.0 x 10^5 km/s)
To divide the numbers in scientific notation, you can divide their coefficients and subtract their exponents:
time = 1.4 / 3.0 x 10^(9-5)
= 0.4666666... x 10^4
To express this number in scientific notation, you need to move the decimal point to the right until there is only one digit to the left of it:
time = 4.666666... x 10^(4-1)
= 4.666666... x 10^3
Rounded to three significant figures, the answer becomes:
time = 4.67 x 10^3 seconds
Therefore, the correct answer is 4.7 x 10^3, not 4.7 x 10^4.