An asteroid is heading toward Mars at the rate of 7.7x10^4 mi./hr. If the asteroid is 3.311x10^8 miles away from Mars, how many hours will it be before it hits Mars?
To find out how many hours it will take for the asteroid to hit Mars, you can divide the distance between the asteroid and Mars by the speed at which the asteroid is traveling.
Distance = 3.311x10^8 miles
Speed = 7.7x10^4 mi/hr
To find the time it takes, we can use the formula: Time = Distance / Speed.
Time = (3.311x10^8 miles) / (7.7x10^4 mi/hr)
To divide the numbers in scientific notation, subtract the exponents:
Time = (3.311 / 7.7) x (10^8 / 10^4) hours
Simplifying further:
Time = 0.429 x 10^4 hours
Since 10^4 is equal to 10,000, we can simplify further:
Time ≈ 0.429 x 10,000 hours
Finally, multiplying the numbers:
Time ≈ 4,290 hours
Therefore, it will take approximately 4,290 hours for the asteroid to hit Mars.