Light travels at 3.00 x 10^8 m/s. If the starlight from the Unicorn galaxy takes 1 year 47 days and 2 hours to reach us. How far away is it in kilometers?
No. 1.07 x 10^16 is in meters; you have to take the whole thing and divide it by 1,000, not just 1.07.
So, 1.07 x 10^16 m*(1km/1,000m)= your answer in Km
****Notice how the m's cancel and you are only left with km.
The FINAL ANSWER SHOUD BE 1.07 x 10^13
1 year=365 days
365 + 47=412 days total
412 days*(24hours/1 day)= 9,888 hours
9,888 hours + 2 hours=9,890 hours total
9,890 hours total*(60 min/1 hour)*(60 sec/1 min)= total time in seconds
3.00 x 10^8 m/s*total time in seconds= distance in meters
distance in meters*(1 kilometer/1,000m)= distance in kilometers
9,890 hours total*(60 min/1 hour)*(60 sec/1 min)= total time in seconds
is 35,604, 000 right?
Yes, 35,604,000 seconds, but what do you do with it once you have found the time that it takes in seconds?
I multiply 35,604,000 by 3.00 x 10^8 to find out the distance in meters?
which gives me 1.06812e+16??
is that right?
You will get an answer that is very large, so you will have to use scientific notation. Report no more then 3 significant figures.
Yes, but only three significant figures. So, a number, decimal followed by two more numbers.
so it will look like this :
distance in meters (1.06)*(1 kilometer/1,000m) = distance in kilometers
-> 0.00106 is the final answer?
No, 1.06812e+16 is correct. But you are only suppose to report three significant figures: 1.07 e+16
yeah, but I'm very confused on how to get the final answer. Do i take 1.07e+16 and multiply it by a thousand to get km?
1,000meters=1km
So, you have to make this relationship a fraction.
1,000m/1km.
But how do I organize it in a way that meters goes away and kilometers remain?
(1km/1000m)
So if I multiply the ration this way, by my intermediate answer that is in meters, then the meters cross cancel and you are only left with meters.
I hope this makes more since.