How many kilometers is one light-year?

Prepare for the Pre-IB Grade 9 Science Exam with detailed flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question is paired with hints and thorough explanations. Ace your test with confidence!

Multiple Choice

How many kilometers is one light-year?

Explanation:
Light-year is a distance unit that tells how far light travels in one year. Since light moves about 3.0 x 10^5 kilometers every second, and there are roughly 3.156 x 10^7 seconds in a year, you multiply speed by time: 3.0 x 10^5 km/s times 3.156 x 10^7 s gives about 9.46 x 10^12 kilometers. So one light-year is approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers. The other numbers are off by large factors because they don’t account for the total number of seconds in a year, so the precise value is around 9.46 x 10^12 km.

Light-year is a distance unit that tells how far light travels in one year. Since light moves about 3.0 x 10^5 kilometers every second, and there are roughly 3.156 x 10^7 seconds in a year, you multiply speed by time: 3.0 x 10^5 km/s times 3.156 x 10^7 s gives about 9.46 x 10^12 kilometers. So one light-year is approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers. The other numbers are off by large factors because they don’t account for the total number of seconds in a year, so the precise value is around 9.46 x 10^12 km.

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