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An astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance between Earth and the sun. One AU is equal to approximately 1.5 × 10^11 km. When measured in kilometers and shown in scientific notation, how many × greater is 1 light year than 1 AU?

a) 9.5×10^12 ×
b) 6.3×10^10×
c) 6.32×10^4×
d) 5.68×10^11 ×

User Fukanchik
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Final answer:

A light year is approximately 63 times greater than an astronomical unit (AU). The correct answer to how many times greater 1 light year is than 1 AU, when expressed in scientific notation, is about 6.3× 10^1 times greater.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks how many times greater a light year is than an astronomical unit (AU). One light year is the distance light travels in a year, which is about 9.461 × 10^12 kilometers. The distance of one AU is approximately 1.5 × 10^11 kilometers. To find the factor by which a light year is greater than an AU, we divide the length of a light year by the length of an AU: (9.461 × 10^12 km) / (1.5 × 10^11 km) = 63.07, which is about 6.307 × 10^1. However, since the options provided are in scientific notation and are looking for the bases of powers of 10, we must re-express this value accordingly. The closest match in scientific notation would be option (b) 6.3× 10^1 ×. Since this question seems to have typographical errors regarding scientific notation, we take the most reasonable approach to interpretation.

User DanielTheRocketMan
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