Question

Saturn is 890,700,000 miles from the Sun.

a. What is this distance in scientific notation?
b. The ratio of miles to meters is 1 mile equals 1.61 x 103 meters. What is this distance in meters?
c. If the speed of light is 3.0 x 10 meters/second, how long does it take for light from the Sun to reach Saturn?

Answer 1

Saturn is 8.907 × 108 miles or 1.43 × 1012 meters from the Sun. It takes light approximately 7.94 × 101 minutes to travel this distance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question requires converting distances into scientific notation and different units, as well as calculating time using the speed of light.

Part A: Scientific Notation

Saturn is 890,700,000 miles from the Sun. In scientific notation, this distance is written as 8.907 × 108 miles.

Part B: Conversion to Meters

Using the ratio of miles to meters (1 mile = 1.61 × 103 meters), the distance in meters is 8.907 × 108 miles multiplied by 1.61 × 103 meters/mile, which equals 1.43 × 1012 meters.

Part C: Time for Light to Reach Saturn

The speed of light is 3.0 × 108 meters/second. To find out how long it takes for light to reach Saturn, divide the distance by the speed of light, resulting in approximately 4,767 seconds, which is 79.45 minutes or approximately 7.94 × 101 minutes.