Question

Problem Page A crystallographer measures the horizontal spacing between molecules in a crystal. The spacing is 18.1 nm . What is the total width of a crystal in millimeters 105 molecules across? Write your answer as a decimal.

Answer 1

The total width of the crystal is determined by multiplying the spacing which is equal to 18.1 x 10^-9 m by the total number of molecules. 

                Width = (18.1 x 10^-9 m)(108)

The simplification of the operation above will give us an answer of 1.958 x 10^-6 m. We can convert this to millimeters as below,

                (1.958 x 10^-6 m)(1000 mm/1 m)
                = 1.9548 x 10^-3 mm

Answer: 1.9548 x 10^-3 mm