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Date November 2017 Marks available 3 Reference code 17N.1.SL.TZ0.T_3
Level Standard Level Paper Paper 1 (with calculator from previous syllabus) Time zone Time zone 0
Command term Find Question number T_3 Adapted from N/A

Question

The speed of light is 300 000 kilometres per second. The average distance from the Sun to the Earth is 149.6 million km.

A light-year is the distance light travels in one year and is equal to 9 467 280 million km. Polaris is a bright star, visible from the Northern Hemisphere. The distance from the Earth to Polaris is 323 light-years.

Calculate the time, in minutes, it takes for light from the Sun to reach the Earth.

[3]
a.

Find the distance from the Earth to Polaris in millions of km. Give your answer in the form a × 10 k with 1 a < 10 and k Z .

[3]
b.

Markscheme

* This question is from an exam for a previous syllabus, and may contain minor differences in marking or structure.

149600000 300000 × 60     (M1)(M1)

 

Note:     Award (M1) for dividing the correct numerator (which can be presented in a different form such as 149.6 × 10 6 or 1.496 × 10 8 ) by 300 000 and (M1) for dividing by 60.

 

= 8.31   ( minutes )   ( 8.31111 , 8 minutes 19 seconds )     (A1)     (C3)

[3 marks]

a.

323 × 9467 280     (M1)

 

Note:     Award (M1) for multiplying 323 by 9 467 280 , seen with any power of 10; therefore only penalizing incorrect power of 10 once.

 

= 3.06 × 10 9  ( =  3.05793 × 10 9 )     (A1)(A1)     (C3)

 

Note:     Award (A1) for 3.06.

Award (A1) for × 10 9

Award (A0)(A0) for answers of the type: 30.6 × 10 8

 

[3 marks]

b.

Examiners report

[N/A]
a.
[N/A]
b.

Syllabus sections

Topic 1—Number and algebra » SL 1.1—Using standard form
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Topic 1—Number and algebra
Prior learning

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