Question

Neurons have long, thin processes called axons, which are structures specialized for conducting signals throughout the organism's nervous system. Some axonal processes, such as the axons that originate in the spinal cord and terminate in the muscles of the toes, can be over 1 m in length. Small membrane‑enclosed vesicles carrying materials essential to axonal function move along microtubules of the cytoskeleton, from the cell body to the tips of the axons. Given an average vesicle velocity of 1 μm/s, how long would it take for a vesicle to move through an axon that started in the spinal cord and ended in the toes (a distance of 1 m)?

Answer 1

Answer:

1,000,000s

Explanation:

A micrometer (μm) is equal to 1 x 10⁻⁶ m

This means that 1 m = 1 x 10⁶ micrometers or 1,000,000 μm.

You can calculate the time it would take using the formula:

$velocity = \dfrac{distance}{time}$

So based on the formula above, you can derive the formula for time which will be:

$time=\dfrac{distance}{velocity}$

Distance = 1m or 1,000,000 μmeters

Velocity = 1μm/s

We just plug it into our formula:

$time = \dfrac{distance}{Velocity}\\\\time=\dfrac{1,000,000micrometers}{1micrometer/s}\\\\time=1,000,000s$