the speed of light is about 1.86×10^5 miles per second. the star sirius is about 5.062×10^13 miles from…

the speed of light is about 1.86×10^5 miles per second. the star sirius is about 5.062×10^13 miles from earth. about how many seconds does it take light to travel from sirius to earth? write your answer in scientific notation, using significant digits

the speed of light is about 1.86×10^5 miles per second. the star sirius is about 5.062×10^13 miles from earth. about how many seconds does it take light to travel from sirius to earth? write your answer in scientific notation, using significant digits

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the time - distance - speed formula

We know that time $t=\frac{d}{v}$, where $d$ is distance and $v$ is speed. Here, $d = 5.062\times10^{13}$ miles and $v=1.86\times 10^{5}$ miles per second.

Step2: Perform the division of numbers in scientific notation

When dividing numbers in scientific notation $\frac{a\times10^{m}}{b\times10^{n}}=\frac{a}{b}\times10^{m - n}$. So, $\frac{5.062\times10^{13}}{1.86\times 10^{5}}=\frac{5.062}{1.86}\times10^{13 - 5}$.

Step3: Calculate the coefficient and the exponent

$\frac{5.062}{1.86}\approx2.72$, and $13-5 = 8$. So the result is $2.72\times10^{8}$ seconds.

Answer:

$2.72\times 10^{8}$