Math Problem Statement

One lucky​ day, you meet a leprechaun who promises to give you fantastic​ wealth, but hands you only a penny before disappearing. You head home and place the penny under your pillow. The next​ morning, to your​ surprise, you find two pennies under your pillow. The following​ morning, you find four​ pennies, and the morning after​ that, eight pennies. Suppose that you could keep making a single stack of the pennies. After how many days would the stack be long enough to reach a star that is about 3 times ×10^13 km​ away? (Assume that 1 pennyequals=1.5 ​mm)

Solution

To solve this problem, we will use the following logic:

  1. Understand the penny doubling pattern: The number of pennies doubles each day. The total number of pennies on day nn is given by: Pn=2n1P_n = 2^{n-1}

  2. Calculate the height of the stack: The height of the stack of pennies on day nn is: Hn=Pn×1.5mmH_n = P_n \times 1.5 \, \text{mm}

    Substitute PnP_n: Hn=2n1×1.5mmH_n = 2^{n-1} \times 1.5 \, \text{mm}

  3. Convert the target distance to millimeters: The target distance is 3×1013km3 \times 10^{13} \, \text{km}. Converting to millimeters: Target height=3×1013km×106mm/km=3×1019mm\text{Target height} = 3 \times 10^{13} \, \text{km} \times 10^6 \, \text{mm/km} = 3 \times 10^{19} \, \text{mm}

  4. Set up the equation to solve for nn: 2n1×1.5=3×10192^{n-1} \times 1.5 = 3 \times 10^{19}

    Rearranging for nn: 2n1=3×10191.52^{n-1} = \frac{3 \times 10^{19}}{1.5}

    Simplify: 2n1=2×10192^{n-1} = 2 \times 10^{19}

  5. Take the logarithm to solve for nn: Taking the base-2 logarithm of both sides: n1=log2(2×1019)n-1 = \log_2(2 \times 10^{19})

    Use logarithmic rules: n1=log2(2)+log2(1019)n-1 = \log_2(2) + \log_2(10^{19})

    Since log2(2)=1\log_2(2) = 1 and log2(1019)=19log2(10)\log_2(10^{19}) = 19 \cdot \log_2(10), where log2(10)3.32193\log_2(10) \approx 3.32193: n1=1+193.32193n-1 = 1 + 19 \cdot 3.32193

    Calculate: n11+63.11667=64.11667n-1 \approx 1 + 63.11667 = 64.11667

    Add 1 to find nn: n65.12n \approx 65.12

Final Answer:

It would take approximately 65 days for the stack of pennies to reach the star.


Do you want more details on any part of this solution? Here are 5 related questions to expand your understanding:

  1. How does the height of the penny stack change with exponential growth?
  2. Can this doubling pattern be visualized using graphs?
  3. What happens if the star were further away or closer?
  4. How does logarithmic calculation help in solving real-world exponential growth problems?
  5. What are other examples of problems involving doubling sequences?

Tip: Exponential growth is surprisingly fast; understanding it is key to grasping phenomena like compound interest and population growth

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Exponential Growth
Logarithms
Unit Conversion

Formulas

P_n = 2^(n-1) (Number of pennies on day n)
H_n = P_n × 1.5 mm (Height of the stack in millimeters)
log2(x) = log(x) / log(2) (Base-2 logarithm conversion)

Theorems

Properties of Exponential Functions
Logarithmic Rules

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-12