Answer:
Distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri (in scientific notation) = [tex]3.9*10^{16}[/tex] kilometers
Step-by-step explanation:
We need the conversion between Astronomical Unit and Kilometers.
The conversion is:
1 AU = 1.496*10^8 km
or rounded, given in this problem,
1 AU = [tex]1.5*10^8[/tex] km
We need the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri:
[tex]2.6*10^8[/tex] AU * [tex]1.5*10^8[/tex] kilometers
When multiplying two numbers in scientific notation, we have to "multiply the coefficients" and "add the exponents".
Lets do this:
[tex](2.6*10^8)*(1.5*10^8)\\=(2.6*1.5)*10^{8+8}\\=3.9*10^{16}[/tex]
Distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri (in scientific notation) = [tex]3.9*10^{16}[/tex] kilometers
