Star Voyage —
Scientific Notation
Name ___________________________
Date ___________________________
© 1999 T
EXAS
I
NSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
TI-30X ÙS: A Guide for Teachers
9
Problem
You are a captain of a starship. You have been assigned to go to Alpha
Centauri, and you have 5 years to get there. The distance from the Sun to
Alpha Centauri is 2.5 x 10
13
miles. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is
approximately 9.3 x 10
7
miles. Your ship can travel at the speed of light. You
know that light can travel a distance of 6 x 10
12
miles in 1 light year. Will you
be able to get to Alpha Centauri on time?
Procedure
1. Using the TI-30X
Ö
S, find the total distance that you need to travel.
_________________________________________________________________
Hint: Make sure your calculator is in scientific notation mode before you begin addition.
2. Next, find out how long it will take you to travel the distance. (distance
traveled P 1 light year) ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. Can you make the trip in the given time? _____________________________
Extension
Now that you have been successful, you have been asked to make another
trip. The distance from the Sun to Delta Centauri is 9 x 10
13
miles. How long
will it take you to get there from Earth?
Hint: The Earth is approximately 9.3 Q 10
7
miles from the Sun.
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