Article: Before you begin, you will want to make sure that whatever distance you are working with is either in miles (if using Imperial units) or in kilometers if working with metric. It doesn’t make much sense to convert smaller distances into light years, but you can if you’re curious.  To convert feet into miles, remember that there are 5,280 feet in a mile: x ft (1 mile/5280 ft) = miles.  To convert meters into kilometers, simply divide by 1000: x m (1 km/1000 m) = km. You need to identify the units for the distance that you’re converting to light years. If you’re converting from kilometers to light years, you will use a different conversion factor than if you’re converting from miles.  To convert from kilometers to light years, you will use: 1 light year/(9.46 x 1012 km).  To convert from miles to light years, you will use: 1 light year/(5.88 x 1012 miles). Once you have determined the proper conversion factor, you can multiply by the original distance to obtain the distance in light years. When numbers are large, it is best to use scientific notation.  For example: If you knew that an object was approximately 14.2 x 1014 miles away from Earth, how many light years would that be? Use the miles conversion factor: 1/(5.88 x 1012) Multiply: (14.2 x 1014) x (1/(5.88 x 1012)) = 2.41 x 102 = 241 light years. The object is 241 light years away. You can always ask for assistance from your teacher and fellow students. There are also many resources online and in your text book to help you when converting to light years. Don’t hesitate to ask for extra help if you need it. Remember, there are always multiple ways to get help when looking for an answer.

What is a summary?
Identify the distance you want to convert. Determine the correct conversion factor. Multiply the original distance by the conversion factor. Find help.