The conversion factor between a light-year and meters can be calculated by considering the speed of light. The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. To find the distance traveled by light in one year, we need to multiply this speed by the number of seconds in a year.
Given: Speed of light = 299,792,458 m/s Number of seconds in a year = 31,536,000 (approximate value)
To calculate the conversion factor, we multiply the speed of light by the number of seconds in a year:
Conversion factor = Speed of light * Number of seconds in a year = 299,792,458 m/s * 31,536,000 s
Performing the calculation:
Conversion factor ≈ 9,461,000,000,000,000 meters
Therefore, the conversion factor between a light-year and meters is approximately 9,461,000,000,000,000 meters. This means that one light-year is equal to approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers.