The sun generates about 4 times 10^26 joules of energy every second. There are about 3.15 times 10^7 seconds in a year. About how many joules of energy does the sun generate in a year? Write the answer in scientific notation. Express the answer to the exact decimal place.
To calculate the total energy generated by the sun in a year, we multiply the energy generated per second by the number of seconds in a year:
Total energy = (4 x 10^26 joules/second) x (3.15 x 10^7 seconds/year)
Total energy = 12.6 x 10^33 joules
Converting to scientific notation:
Total energy = 1.26 x 10^34 joules
Therefore, the sun generates approximately 1.26 x 10^34 joules of energy in a year.