Atomic Dimensions

    The following examples are designed to help you become more familiar with the size of atoms, which are very, very small!  By working through these examples, you may better understand how the parts of the atom are related to one another.

What Is the Size of One Atom?
    1.  Is is estimated that about 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) atoms would fit into a period at theend of this sentence.  If all the atoms were carbon atoms of the same size, and if the period had an approximate volume of 0.000,000,06 cubic centimeters, what would be the approximate size in cubic centimeters, what would be the approximate size in cubic centimeters of just 1 atom?
 
 
 
 
 
 

            Now just think how many atoms it would take to make a colon!

2.  If you inhaled 1000 cubic centimeters of air with one breath, about 200 cubic centimeters would be oxygen).  The rest is mostly nitrogen.  One molecule of oxygen is about 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,04
cubic centimeters in volume.  About how many molecules of oxygen did you just inhale?  This is not just a lot of hot air!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Space Inside the Atom
3.  A nucleus occupies a very small amount of space inside an atom.  From the nucleus to an electron is approximately 10,000 times the radius of the nucleus.  Imagine the nucleus of an atom to be a ball 10 cm in diameter.  How far away from this ball would the nearest hypothetical electron be?
 
 
 
 
 

Masses of Atoms
4.  The atomic mass unit, amu, represents a very small amount of mass and is actually 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001,67 gram.  Calculate your mass in grams, and then covert your mass to amu.
 
 
 
 
 
 

5.  An electron is only 1/2000 the mass of a proton.  If your mass was 50 kg, what would be the mass of something 2000 times smaller than you?  Ty it the other way.  What would be the mass of something 2000 times larger than you?