To convert the radius of the Earth from kilometers to centimeters, we need to know the conversion factors. There are 1,000 meters in a kilometer and 100 centimeters in a meter. Thus, there are:
1 kilometer = 1,000 meters
1 meter = 100 centimeters
To calculate the number of centimeters in a kilometer, we multiply these two values:
1 kilometer = 1,000 meters × 100 centimeters/meter = 100,000 centimeters
Now that we know there are 100,000 centimeters in a kilometer, we can convert the radius of the Earth:
Radius of the Earth = 6,380 kilometers
Now, we multiply by the conversion factor:
6,380 kilometers × 100,000 centimeters/kilometer = 638,000,000 centimeters
Therefore, the radius of the Earth in centimeters is 638,000,000 centimeters.