Question

the speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second. how would you write the approximate speed in scientific notation?
3 × 10⁻⁹ meters per second
3 × 10⁻⁸ meters per second
3 × 10⁸ meters per second
3 × 10⁹ meters per second

Explanation:

Step1: Recall scientific notation rules

Scientific notation is \(a\times10^{n}\), where \(1\leq|a|\lt10\) and \(n\) is an integer. For \(299,792,458\), we approximate \(a\) as \(3\) (since \(299,792,458\approx300,000,000\)).

Step2: Determine the exponent \(n\)

To get from \(3\) to \(300,000,000\), we move the decimal point 8 places to the right. So \(n = 8\). Thus, the scientific notation is \(3\times10^{8}\).

Answer:

\(3\times10^{8}\) meters per second (corresponding to the option "3 × 10⁸ meters per second")