Question

(a) Calculate the number of cells in a hummingbird assuming the mass of an average cell is ten times the mass of a bacterium. (b) Making the same assumption, how many cells are there in a human?

Answer 1

To calculate the number of cells in a hummingbird or a human, divide their mass by the mass of an average cell. Assuming a cell is ten times heavier than a bacterium and using given mass references, we find approximately 3 x 10^11 cells in a hummingbird and 7 x 10^14 cells in a human.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the number of cells in a hummingbird, we first need to know the mass of a hummingbird and the average mass of a cell. Given that a cell's mass is ten times that of a bacterium, we can use the mass of a bacterium for approximation. If we assume the mass of a bacterium is on the order of 10-15 kg (as given in the reference), then the mass of an average cell would be 10-14 kg. Considering a hummingbird weighs approximately 3 grams (3 x 10-3 kg), we can divide the mass of the hummingbird by the mass of an average cell to find the number of cells:

Number of cells in a hummingbird = Mass of hummingbird / Mass of an average cell = (3 x 10-3 kg) / (10-14 kg) = 3 x 1011 cells.

For humans, assuming an average human mass of 70 kg (70,000 g), the calculation would be:

Number of cells in a human = Mass of human / Mass of an average cell = (70 x 10-3 kg) / (10-14 kg) = 7 x 1014 cells.

Answer 2

Given :

Average mass of the cell = 10 X mass of bacterium.

Number of cell= (Mass of humming bird)/ (mass of the cell@)

a) The mass of a hummingbird is , while the mass of a cell is . The number of cells in the hummingbird is

〖10〗^(-2)/〖10 X 10〗^(-15) = 〖10〗^12 cells

Number of cells in humming bird = 1012 cells

b) The mass of a person is .

(〖10〗^2 kg)/(10 X 〖10〗^(-15) )= 〖10〗^16 cells

Number of cells in human = 1016 cells