Question

Simplify the expression. Write the answer using scientific notation.

Astronomers measure large distances in light-years. One light-year is the distance that light can travel in one year, or approximately 5,880,000,000,000 miles. Suppose a star is 14.4 light-years from Earth. In scientific notation, how many miles away is it?

8.4672 x 10^13
5.88 x 10^13
5.88 x 10^12
1.44 x 10^12

Answer 1

The answer is 5.88 x 10^22 because when you move your decimal point (which should be placed in between 5 and 8) to the right it turns 58800000000000 into 5.88. Then you count the numbers after the decimal which gives you 12.
( I’m pretty sure I made no sense, but hopefully it helped !! )