Will you double check my math?
This probably a 2nd grade question, but I’d like some verification on my math:
“If a mile equals 1.609 km and the moon is 2160 mi in diameter, what is its diameter in kilometers?”
I come up with 1342.448726 / 1342.5 km
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12 Answers
What you did is divide 2160 by 1.609 instead of multiplying it by that same number.
Since it takes more kilometers to equal a distance than it does miles, you should multiply 2160 by 1.609.
1 mi = 1.609 km
2160 * 1 mi = 6129 * 1.609 km
I think @ratboy meant to write:
1 mi = 1.609 km
2160 * 1 mi = 2160 * 1.609 km
Which results in:
2160 mi = 3475.44 km
So like @Brian1946 said, you need to multiply rather than divide.
I just double-checked @Brian1946 and @SavoirFaire and also got 3475.44.
I find it always helpful to do a simple version, such as 2000×1.7 = 3400. That gets me in the ballpark.
Kilometer is larger than a mile; thus a diameter in kilometers has to be larger than it is in miles.
Just a nitpick: A kilometer is not larger than a mile. A mile is 1.609 times larger than a kilometer.
The number of kilometers that equal the same distance in miles is more than the number of miles.
3475 is correct.
@gailcalled That’s what was confusing me, because a Km is NOT greater than a mile. It’s less than a mile. Thanks you guys…
@ratboy I can’t even count the number of bizarre typing mistakes I’ve made in my life, especially when using the number pad.
@Shuttle128: You’re right, of course. Talk about making this problem a confusing one. I remember living with a French family one summer when I was young. If I biked 8 kilometers, it felt like only 5 miles to my legs.
It’s actually more of a 5th grade question.
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