Tectonic plates are large segments of the earth's crust that move slowly. suppose one such plate has an average speed of 4.8 cm per year. (a) what distance does it move in 40 seconds at this speed?

one year is 365, 1 day is 24 hours, 1 hour is 60 minutes, 60 minutes is 60 seconds, thus (365 * 24 * 60 * 60) = 31,536,000 one year is equal to 31,536,000 seconds. the plate has a speed of 4.8 cm every 31,536,000 seconds. lets find out how far it goes in 40 seconds. (4.8/31,536,000) * 40 = 0.00000608828 The plate moves 0.00000608828 cm every 40 seconds