Final answer:
The sun produces 5.85 × 10^40 ergs of radiant energy in 1.5 × 10^7 seconds, calculated by multiplying the energy output per second by the number of seconds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks how many ergs of radiant energy the sun produces in 1.5 × 10^7 seconds. Given that the sun produces 3.9 × 10^33 ergs per second, we can find the total energy produced over 1.5 × 10^7 seconds by multiplying the energy produced per second by the total number of seconds.
To calculate this, we use the formula:
Total energy (ergs) = Energy per second (ergs/s) × Time (s)
Plugging in the values:
Total energy (ergs) = 3.9 × 10^33 ergs/s × 1.5 × 10^7 s
Now, multiplying the numbers and adding the exponents for the powers of 10:
Total energy (ergs) = 3.9 × 1.5 × 10^(33+7) ergs
Total energy (ergs) = 5.85 × 10^40 ergs
This is the total amount of energy produced by the sun in 1.5 × 10^7 seconds, and it is given in scientific notation.