Counting units and units of measurement describe specific or standard quantities. For example, a gross is exactly 144 items, whereas a clutch can represent various numbers of eggs. How small would something have to be before you couldn't count it?
You are about to embark on an incredible journey through space and scale. You will need your notebook, a way to record data, and your computer's Internet connection. Copy the table below into your notebook.
How Small Is an Atom?
Read through these instructions before starting your journey:
- Open “The Scale of the Universe 2” interactive in a separate tab by clicking the image below and then clicking “Start.”
- You will begin at human scale. Click the icon and verify human average size in meters.
- As you zoom in toward atomic scale, choose eight progressively smaller objects along the way.
- For each object, record the object and its average size in the data table using scientific notation.
- After reaching hydrogen, the smallest atom, slowly zoom out to 1012 meters, find the star Deneb, and record its size.
- Complete this sentence into your notebook: The hydrogen atom is to a human as a human is to _________.
- Return to this page to continue the lesson.
Ready? Set? Go!