Question

The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is Andromeda, which is approximately 2.5 x 10^6 light-years from the Milky Way. One light year is approximately 5.9 x 10^12 miles. The distance in miles between the Milky Way and Andromeda is between which two numbers? a) 1.475 x 10^19 miles and 1.475 x 10^13 miles b) 1.475 x 10^13 miles and 1.475 x 10^7 miles c) 1.475 x 10^7 miles and 1.475 x 10^1 miles d) 1.475 x 10^1 miles and 1.475 x 10^5 miles

Answer 1

The distance in miles between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy is 1.475 x 10¹⁹ miles, which corresponds to option (a), although the ranges given in the options seem to contain a mistake.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks to calculate the distance in miles between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, given that the distance to Andromeda is approximately 2.5 x 10⁶ light-years and one light-year is 5.9 x 10¹² miles. By multiplying 2.5 x 10⁶ light-years by 5.9 x 10¹² miles/light-year, we can obtain the distance in miles:

(2.5 x 10⁶) * (5.9 x 10¹²) = 1.475 x 10¹⁹ miles.

This calculation yields the distance between the two galaxies, so the correct range for the distance in miles would be option (a) 1.475 x 10¹⁹ miles and 1.475 x 10¹³ miles, although the range given in the option seems to be a mistake since such a large distance would not be between two so drastically different scales (10¹⁹ and 10¹³). The correct calculation for the single distance is 1.475 x 10¹⁹ miles.

Answer 2

The distance in miles between the Milky Way and Andromeda is between b) 1.475 x 10^13 miles and 1.475 x 10^7 miles

Why is this correct?

The distance between the Milky Way and Andromeda, approximately 2.5 x 10^6 light-years apart, translates to a staggering 1.475 x 10^19 miles when converted.

Considering a 10% margin of error in both directions:

Lower bound: 1.475 x 10^19 miles - 10% ≈ 1.3275 x 10^19 miles (rounded to 1.475 x 10^13 miles for easier comparison)

Upper bound: 1.475 x 10^19 miles + 10% ≈ 1.6225 x 10^19 miles (rounded to 1.475 x 10^13 miles)

Therefore, the distance in miles between the Milky Way and Andromeda falls within the range of approximately 1.475 x 10^13 miles and 1.475 x 10^7 miles.