A penny is about 1/16 of an inch thick. 3. The distance from the moon to the earth is about 239,000 miles. How many pennies would need to be in a stack in order to reach the moon? (HINT: 1 foot = 12 Inches, 5280 feet 1mile) Itype your answer here] None
The correct answer and explanation is:
To calculate how many pennies would need to be stacked to reach the moon, we can use the given information and follow these steps:
Given Data:
- Thickness of a penny: 116\frac{1}{16} inch
- Distance from Earth to the Moon: 239,000 miles
- Conversions:
- 1 foot=12 inches1 \text{ foot} = 12 \text{ inches}
- 1 mile=5280 feet1 \text{ mile} = 5280 \text{ feet}
Step-by-Step Solution:
- Convert the distance to inches:
- First, convert miles to feet: 239,000 miles×5280 feet/mile=1,261,920,000 feet239,000 \text{ miles} \times 5280 \text{ feet/mile} = 1,261,920,000 \text{ feet}
- Then, convert feet to inches: 1,261,920,000 feet×12 inches/foot=15,142,080,000 inches1,261,920,000 \text{ feet} \times 12 \text{ inches/foot} = 15,142,080,000 \text{ inches}
- Determine how many pennies make up this distance:
- Each penny is 116\frac{1}{16} inch thick. Therefore, the number of pennies required is: Number of pennies=Total distance in inchesThickness of one penny\text{Number of pennies} = \frac{\text{Total distance in inches}}{\text{Thickness of one penny}} Substituting the values: Number of pennies=15,142,080,000 inches116 inch/penny=15,142,080,000×16\text{Number of pennies} = \frac{15,142,080,000 \text{ inches}}{\frac{1}{16} \text{ inch/penny}} = 15,142,080,000 \times 16 Number of pennies=242,273,280,000 pennies\text{Number of pennies} = 242,273,280,000 \text{ pennies}
Final Answer:
To stack pennies from the Earth to the Moon, you would need 242,273,280,000 pennies.
Explanation:
This calculation demonstrates how a seemingly small measurement, such as the thickness of a penny, becomes significant when scaled over astronomical distances like the Earth-Moon distance. The key was to first convert the distance into a common unit (inches), then divide by the thickness of a penny. The result shows the immense quantity of pennies required for such a monumental stack. This exercise emphasizes the power of unit conversions and how tiny objects can add up to large scales over vast distances.