Solve the problem. Express your answer in scientific notation, and round to one decimal place.
-The speed of light is 1.86 × 105 miles/second. How far can light travel in one year? Round to one decimal place.
A) $5.9 \times 1010$ miles
B) $5.9 \times 10 ^ { 12 }$ miles
C) $5.9 \times 10 ^ { - 12 }$ miles
D) $5.9 \times 1013$ miles

Question

Solve the problem. Express your answer in scientific notation, and round to one decimal place.
-The speed of light is 1.86 × 105 miles/second. How far can light travel in one year? Round to one decimal place. 
A) $5.9 \times 1010$ miles
B) $5.9 \times 10 ^ { 12 }$ miles
C) $5.9 \times 10 ^ { - 12 }$ miles
D) $5.9 \times 1013$ miles

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To calculate how far light can travel in one year, we need to multiply its speed by the number of seconds in a year. There are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year.

1 year = 365 days = 365 x 24 hours = 365 x 24 x 60 minutes = 365 x 24 x 60 x 60 seconds

So,

Distance light can travel in one year = speed of light x time

= 1.86 x 105 miles/second x (365 x 24 x 60 x 60 seconds)

= 1.86 x 105 miles/second x 31,536,000 seconds

= 5.878 x 1012 miles

Rounding to one decimal place gives us 5.9 x 1012 miles, which is choice B.

Solve the Problem 5.9×10105.9 \times 10105.9×1010 Miles B) 5.9×10125.9 \times 10 ^ { 12 }5.9×1012

Solve the Problem $5.9 \times 1010$ Miles
B) $5.9 \times 10 ^ { 12 }$