Compare the following.
a. The distance from Neptune to the Sun is 4.55 x 10¹² m while the distance of the Earth from the Sun is 1.49 x 10¹¹ m.
b. The size of a plant cell is 0.0001275 m while the size of a red blood cell is 7×10⁻⁶ m.
c. The diameter of the Sun is 1.4 x 10⁹ m while the diameter of the Earth is 1.2746 x 10⁷ m.
Answer (2)
The question involves comparing distances from the Sun and sizes of cells using scientific notation. The calculations show that Neptune is about 30.5 times further from the Sun than Earth, a plant cell is about 18.21 times larger than a red blood cell, and the Sun's diameter is about 109.7 times larger than Earth's. These comparisons highlight the significant size differences in astronomical and biological contexts.
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Let's compare the different measurements given in the question by examining each part separately and explaining them in an easy-to-understand manner.
a. Distances from Neptune and Earth to the Sun:
Neptune to the Sun: The distance from Neptune to the Sun is given as 4.55 × 1 0 12 km. To compare it with the Earth-Sun distance, convert the kilometers to meters. Since 1 kilometer equals 1,000 meters, the distance can be converted to meters:
4.55 × 1 0 12 km = 4.55 × 1 0 12 × 1 0 3 m = 4.55 × 1 0 15 m
Earth to the Sun: The distance from Earth to the Sun is provided as 1.49 × 1 0 11 m.
Now, we can compare these two distances:
The distance from Neptune to the Sun is much greater than the distance from Earth to the Sun by a factor of about 4.55 × 1 0 15 ÷ 1.49 × 1 0 11 ≈ 30.54 . This illustrates that Neptune is much farther away from the Sun than Earth is.
b. Size of a plant cell and a red blood cell:
Plant Cell Size: The size of a plant cell is given as 0.0001275 m.
Red Blood Cell Size: The size of a red blood cell is provided as 7 × 1 0 − 6 m.
To compare these, note that a plant cell is larger than a red blood cell as 0.0001275 meters can be expressed in scientific notation as 1.275 × 1 0 − 4 meters, which is greater than 7 × 1 0 − 6 .
c. Diameter of the Sun and the Earth:
Sun's Diameter: The diameter of the Sun is given as 1.4 × 1 0 9 m.
Earth's Diameter: The diameter of the Earth is 1.2746 × 1 0 7 m.
When comparing diameters, you can see that the Sun's diameter is much larger than Earth's by a factor of approximately 1.4 × 1 0 9 ÷ 1.2746 × 1 0 7 ≈ 109.82 . This shows that the Sun is significantly larger in diameter than the Earth.
Overall, each part of the comparison involves understanding the vast differences in distances and sizes within the universe and in biology, illustrating some basic principles of astronomy and biology.
