tance on 150x100 (so that\'s 150) × 10 (amillion) kilometers. In scientific nota

Question

tance on 150x100 (so that's 150) × 10 (amillion) kilometers. In scientific notation, that's 5 X 10 km The next nearest star is Alpha Centauri, at a distance of 41 trillion kilometers (a trillion is a "million million" 1 and 10 followed by a power of 10. For Dxmlp ora "thousand billion"). Express this distance in scientific notation. Kilometers are a poor choice of unit for astronomical distances. For solar system objects, like Jupiter or Mars, e astronomical unit (AU), where 1AU is the average distance between the Earth and Sun, given above. Calculate the distance to Alpha Centauri in AU. m Lab 2 of Astronomy Lab Manual, First Edition. Nate McCrady. Copyright2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights oiv

Explanation / Answer

1) alpha centauri distance is given as 4.1*1013 km

and we need in AU, so 1 AU= 1.5*108 km (approx)

4.1*1013 in AU= 4.1*1013 / 1.5*108

=273333.33 AU

2) speed of light =3*108 m/s

= 3*105 km/s

3) distance travelled by light in one second= 3*108 m

and seconds in one year= 86400*365 =31536000 s

so, total distance travalled by light in one year= 3*108*31536000

= 9.46*1015 m= 9.46*1012 Km

4) base near alpha centauri is at a distance of 4.1*1013 km so number of light years away it is from our solar system is=

4.1*1013 / 9.46*1012= 4.33 light years away.

5) since alpha centauri is at a distance of 4.1*1013 km from our solar system and speed assumed to be achieved by future manned spacecraft =20 km/s

total time required to reach alpha centauri =distance/speed

=  4.1*1013/ 20

=2.05*1012 seconds

=23726851.85 days =65005 years

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