In astronomy, distances are often expressed in light-years. One light-year is the distance traveled by light in one year. The distance to Alpha Centauri, the closest star other than our own sun that can be seen by the naked eye, is 4.7 light-years. Express this distance in meters.
Multiply the speed of light, 3*10^8 m/s, by the number of seconds in 4.7 years.
To express the distance to Alpha Centauri in meters, we need to calculate the number of meters in one light-year.
First, let's start with the definition of a light-year: it is the distance light travels in one year. The speed of light is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second.
To find the distance light travels in one year, we multiply the speed of light 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 365.25 days in a year (considering the leap year).
So, the calculation is as follows:
(299,792,458 m/s) * (60 seconds/minute) * (60 minutes/hour) * (24 hours/day) * (365.25 days/year)
Now, let's calculate the distance to Alpha Centauri in meters by multiplying the distance in light-years by the calculated number of meters in one light-year:
4.7 light-years * [(299,792,458 m/s) * (60 seconds/minute) * (60 minutes/hour) * (24 hours/day) * (365.25 days/year)]
Performing the calculation yields the distance to Alpha Centauri in meters:
≈ 4.45 x 10^16 meters
Therefore, the distance to Alpha Centauri is approximately 4.45 x 10^16 meters.
To express the distance to Alpha Centauri in meters, we need to first determine the speed of light and then calculate the distance it travels in one year.
The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. We can use this value to calculate the distance traveled by light in one year.
There are 365 days in a year, and each day has 24 hours. Assuming each hour has 60 minutes and each minute has 60 seconds, we have:
1 year = 365 days × 24 hours × 60 minutes × 60 seconds
Now, let's calculate the distance light travels in one year:
Distance = speed of light × time
Distance = 299,792,458 m/s × (365 days × 24 hours × 60 minutes × 60 seconds)
After performing the calculations, we find that the distance light travels in one year is approximately 9,461,000,000,000 kilometers.
Now, we can convert the distance to Alpha Centauri of 4.7 light-years into meters:
Distance to Alpha Centauri = 4.7 light-years × (9,461,000,000,000 meters/year)
Calculating this, we find that the distance to Alpha Centauri is approximately 44,380,000,000,000 kilometers.
Therefore, the distance to Alpha Centauri is approximately 44,380,000,000,000 meters.