Question

Assume that an oil slick consists of a single layer of molecules and that each molecule occupies a cube 0.488 nm on a side. determine the area of an oil slick formed by 0.708 m3 of oil. answer in units of m2 .

Answer 1

Since the oil slick consists of a single layer, then the thickness of the oil slick is 0.488 nm. When we multiply the thickness of the oil slick by the area A, then we should get the volume of the oil slick 0.708 m^3. We can set up an equation to find the area A. (A)(0.488 nm) = 0.708 m^3 A = 0.708 m^3 / 0.488 nm A = 0.708 m^3 / 0.488 X 10^{-9} m A = (0.708 / 0.488) X 10^9 m^2 A = 1.45 X 10^9 m^2 The area of the oil slick is 1.45 X 10^9 m^2