Final answer:
A mole of Starburst candies, laid end to end, could make approximately 1.183×10^13 round trips between Earth and the moon if each candy is 1.5 cm wide and the round-trip distance is 763,100 km.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked: 'How many trips to the moon and back could be made if a mole of Starburst candies are laid end to end between the Earth and the moon?' To solve this, we first need to calculate the total distance of one round trip from Earth to the moon and back.
The average distance from Earth to the moon is 381,550 km, so a round trip is double that, which is 763,100 km. Converting this distance into centimeters gives us 76,310,000,000 cm for a round trip.
Now, given that the width of one Starburst candy is 1.5 cm, we can calculate the total number of Starburst candies needed for one trip by dividing the total distance in cm by the width of one candy: 76,310,000,000 cm ÷ 1.5 cm = 50,873,333,333.33 candies per trip.
A mole (Avogadro's number) has approximately 6.022×10^23 units. To find out how many round trips can be made with a mole of candies, divide the number of units in a mole by the number of candies per trip: 6.022×10^23 candies ÷ 50,873,333,333.33 candies/trip = approximately 1.183×10^13 trips.
Therefore, a mole of Starburst candies could make about 1.183×10^13 round trips between Earth and the moon.