Converting light years to meters and miles

[TrimHopp]

Homework Statement

A light-year is the distance that light travels in one year. Find this distance in both miles and meters.

Homework Equations

Speed of light (c) = 3.00x10^8 m/s

The Attempt at a Solution

10^15 m/s
__________
3.00x10^8 m/s

That is to find meters...I think I can only find miles after I find meters by dividing that answer by 1609m

Thanks.

 

[NascentOxygen]

I think google could help you with this.

 

[PeterO]

Homework Statement

A light-year is the distance that light travels in one year. Find this distance in both miles and meters.

Homework Equations

Speed of light (c) = 3.00x10^8 m/s

The Attempt at a Solution

10^15 m/s
__________
3.00x10^8 m/s

That is to find meters...I think I can only find miles after I find meters by multiplying that answer by 1609m

Thanks.

Where did 10¹⁵ m/s come from? and what are you doing/trying to do?

You were told how far light goes in a second, how about a minute? Then how about an hour? a day? 365.24 days? [a year]

Once you know how many meters, I wouldn't be multiplying by 1609. I don't think anything is more miles away from something that it is meters away from something! The end of my street is about 120 m away, but it is far less than even 1 mile.

 

[TrimHopp]

Right peter, I meant divide. Thanks for that.

In the book where I get the problem from, it says 1 light year = 9.46 Pm (P being peta (15) and m being meters). I thought that was 10^15?

 

[dynamicsolo]

Right peter, I meant divide. Thanks for that.

In the book where I get the problem from, it says 1 light year = 9.46 Pm (P being peta (15) and m being meters). I thought that was 10^15?

Yes, but then that makes the length of a light-year 9.46 · 10¹⁵ m. But if you know this, why divide by the speed of light? That would tell you the length of time it takes light to travel one light-year, yes?

You are being asked to compute the length of a light-year, given that light travels at (very nearly) c = 3.00 · 10⁸ m/sec . You need to work out the number of seconds in a year. (You may use the distance you looked up as a check...) You then need to convert this value from meters into miles.