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MCAT Physics Thought Question...

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chandler742

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Here is another question.


What is 1 light year approximately?

A) 1 x 10 ^10 secs
B) 1 x 10 ^10 meters
C) 1 x 10 ^15 secs
D) 1 x 10 ^ 15 meters


(HINT: Don't forget on the MCAT you must know how to
approximate exponents)
 
365 x 24hr/dayx3600sec/hr = 3.2x10^8 sec in a year

(3.2x10^8) x (3x10^8) = 9x10^16 or ~1x10^15

answer D
 
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The time is 3.2e7 not 3.2e8, which when multiplied by the speed of light (3e8) is 9e15 = ~1e16, which is not one of the answer choices. Did I do a calculation wrong or is the answer choice supposed to be 1e16?
 
right. Good job, guys.

As an aside, this appeared on my MCAT as a free response question. I fabricated the wrong values, but the meters and sec were scattered as choices.