Neptune is approximately 4.5 billion kilometers from the sun. What is this distance in AU?

A. [tex]$0.3 AU$[/tex]

B. [tex]$3.8 AU$[/tex]

C. [tex]$30 AU$[/tex]

D. [tex]$3 \text{ million AU}$[/tex]



Answer :

To convert the distance from kilometers to Astronomical Units (AU), we need to know that 1 AU is approximately equal to 149.6 million kilometers.

Here’s a step-by-step solution to find the distance of Neptune from the sun in AU:

1. Identify the given distance in kilometers:
The distance from Neptune to the Sun is 4.5 billion kilometers.

2. Understand the conversion factor:
1 AU is approximately 149.6 million kilometers.

3. Set up the conversion calculation:
To convert the distance from kilometers to AU, we use the following relationship:
[tex]\[ 1 \text{ AU} = 149,600,000 \text{ kilometers} \][/tex]

4. Convert the distance to standard form for clarity:
4.5 billion kilometers can be written as 4.5e9 kilometers.

5. Perform the division to convert kilometers to AU:
[tex]\[ \text{Distance in AU} = \frac{4.5 \text{ billion kilometers}}{149.6 \text{ million kilometers per AU}} \][/tex]

6. Simplify the numerical values:
[tex]\[ 4.5 \times 10^9 \text{ kilometers divided by } 149.6 \times 10^6 \text{ kilometers per AU} \][/tex]

7. Calculate the distance in AU:
[tex]\[ \text{Distance in AU} = \frac{4.5 \times 10^9}{149.6 \times 10^6} = \frac{4500 \times 10^6}{149.6 \times 10^6} \][/tex]

8. Simplify the ratio:
[tex]\[ \text{Distance in AU} = \frac{4500}{149.6} \approx 30.08 \][/tex]

Thus, the distance from Neptune to the Sun is approximately \(30.08\) AU.

Among the given options:

- [tex]$0.3 AU$[/tex]
- 3.8 AU
- [tex]$30 AU$[/tex]
- 3 million [tex]$AU$[/tex]

The most accurate choice is [tex]\(30 AU\)[/tex].

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