Question

Canopus is 540 light years from Earth. If one light year is 5.88 x 10¹2 miles, how far is Canopus in miles?

A) 3.17 x 10¹5 miles
B) 3.17 x 10¹3 miles
C) 3.17 x 10¹4 miles
D) 3.17 x 10¹6 miles

Answer 1

The distance of Canopus from Earth is 3.17 x 10¹µ miles, calculated by multiplying 540 light years by 5.88 x 10¹² miles per light year.

Step-by-step explanation:

The distance of Canopus from Earth in miles can be calculated by multiplying the distance in light years with the number of miles in one light year. Given that Canopus is 540 light years away and one light year is 5.88 x 10¹² miles, we calculate the distance in miles as:

540 (light years) × 5.88 x 10¹² (miles/light year) = 3.17 x 10¹µ miles.

The calculation follows these steps:

• Multiply 540 by 5.88, which gives 3175.2.
• Then, add the exponents (2 from 10¹²) to the number of light years, which in scientific notation without a factor is 10¹ (540 = 5.4 x 10¹).
• Combine these values to get 3.1752 x 10¹µ, which we round to three significant figures as 3.17 x 10¹µ.

Hence, the correct answer is A) 3.17 x 10¹µ miles.