Question

A. Calculate the approximate number of atoms in a bacterium. Assume that the average mass of an atom in the bacterium is ten times the mass of a hydrogen atom.
b. Approximately how many atoms thick is a cell membrane, assuming all atoms there average about twice the size of a hydrogen atom?

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Approximate umber of atoms = 10¹¹

b. number of atoms = 50 atoms thick

Note: The question is missing some parts. The complete question is as follows; Calculate the approximate number of atoms in a bacterium. Assume that the average mass of an atom in the bacterium is ten times the mass of a hydrogen atom. (Hint: The mass of a hydrogen atom is on the order of 1×10⁻²⁷ kg and the mass of a bacterium is on the order of 1×10⁻¹⁵ kg)

Explanation:

a. Approximate umber of atoms = mass of bacterium / 10 * mass of hydrogen

number of atoms = 10⁻⁵/ 10 × 10⁻²⁷

number of atoms = 10¹¹ atoms

b. The cell membrane is 10-8 m thick while the hydrogen atom has a diameter of 10-10  m.

The number of atoms in the cell membrane = d1 / 2 × d2

where d1 = diameter of cell membrane; d2 = diameter of hydrogen atom

The number of atoms in the cell membrane = 10⁻ / 2 × 10⁻¹⁰ = 50 atoms