To determine the number of seconds in a year, we need to consider the various units of time involved. Here's a breakdown:
- One minute consists of 60 seconds.
- One hour consists of 60 minutes, so it contains 60 × 60 = 3,600 seconds.
- One day consists of 24 hours, or 24 × 3,600 = 86,400 seconds.
- One standard year, also known as a tropical year, is the time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun. It is approximately equal to 365.24 days.
To calculate the number of seconds in a year, we multiply the number of seconds in a day (86,400) by the number of days in a year (365.24):
86,400 seconds/day × 365.24 days/year = 31,536,864 seconds/year.
Therefore, there are approximately 31,536,864 seconds in a standard year.