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Ch.1 - Matter, Measurement & Problem Solving
Chapter 1, Problem 105

There are exactly 60 seconds in a minute, exactly 60 minutes in an hour, exactly 24 hours in a mean solar day, and 365.24 solar days in a solar year. How many seconds are in a solar year? Give your answer with the correct number of significant figures.

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1
Identify the conversion factors needed: 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hours per day, and 365.24 days per year.
Set up the calculation by multiplying these conversion factors together to convert years to seconds: \(1 \text{ year} \times \frac{365.24 \text{ days}}{1 \text{ year}} \times \frac{24 \text{ hours}}{1 \text{ day}} \times \frac{60 \text{ minutes}}{1 \text{ hour}} \times \frac{60 \text{ seconds}}{1 \text{ minute}}\).
Perform the multiplication step by step, starting with the number of days in a year and working towards seconds.
Ensure that units cancel appropriately at each step, leaving you with the unit of seconds.
Determine the number of significant figures in the final answer based on the given data, which is 5 significant figures from 365.24 days.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another. In this question, we need to convert minutes to seconds and hours to seconds, which involves multiplying by the appropriate conversion factors (60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour). Understanding how to systematically convert units is essential for solving problems involving different measurements.
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Significant Figures

Significant figures are the digits in a number that contribute to its precision. When performing calculations, especially in chemistry, it is crucial to maintain the correct number of significant figures based on the precision of the given data. In this question, the final answer must reflect the significant figures of the least precise measurement, which is 365.24 days, ensuring the answer is reported accurately.
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Time Measurement

Time measurement involves understanding the relationships between different time units, such as seconds, minutes, hours, and days. In this question, we need to recognize that there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day. This knowledge is fundamental for calculating the total number of seconds in a solar year by sequentially applying these relationships.
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