How many orders of magnitude are there between the diameter of a planet like Earth and the typical size of a star like the sun?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) seven

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The diameter of Earth is approximately 12,742 km, while the typical size of a star like the sun is around 1,392,684 km. To determine the difference in size between these two objects, we can divide the larger value (star) by the smaller value (Earth):

1,392,684 km ÷ 12,742 km = 109.2

This means that the diameter of a star like the sun is about 109 times greater than the diameter of Earth. Since we're comparing sizes based on order of magnitude, we can round 109 to the nearest power of 10, which is 100. Therefore, there are two orders of magnitude (i.e. 100 times difference) between the diameter of Earth and the typical size of a star like the sun. The answer is B.

How Many Orders of Magnitude Are There Between the Diameter