Question

If light travels about 3 x 10^5 kilometers per second, about how many kilometers does it travel in one day? Write the answer in scientific notation.

Answer 1

Answer:   2.59 × 10¹⁰ kilometers/day

Step-by-step explanation:

Since there are 86400 seconds / day

& light travels at 3 x 10⁵ kilometers / second

Then kilometers the light travels in a day

  = (86400 seconds / day) × (light travels at 3 x 10⁵ kilometers / second)

  = 2.59 × 10¹⁰ kilometers/day

Note:

We know that we have to multiply because the unit 'seconds per day' has the seconds in the numerator, while the unit 'kilometer per second' has the seconds in the denominator, so to cancel we would have to multiply. This gives us the unit we are looking for 'kilometeres per day'.