Explanation:
A pollen grain = 3 × 10^-3 cm
To find;
1. How many pollen grains, together, are needed to form a 10 meter string?
2. Assume that the diameter of the Earth is about 1.3 x 10⁴ km. How many grains of pollen are needed to form a string around the Earth, forming a circle centered at the center of the Earth?
Solution:
1.
10 m = 1 × 10^3 cm
A pollen grain = 3 × 10^-3 cm
Amount of pollen grain needed to form a 10 meter string = 1 × 10^3 / 3 × 10^-3
= 3^-1 × 10^6
Therefore, 3^-1 × 10^6 pollen grain is needed to form a 10 meter string.
2.
Diameter of the earth = 1.3 x 10⁴ km
1 km = 10^5 cm
To convert to cm = (1.3 x 10⁴ km) • 10^5 = 1.3 × 10^9
Nextly, Divide the length of the pollen grain by the length of the diameter in cm which is 1.3 × 10^9 = 1.3 × 10^9 / 3 x 10^-3 = 1.3/3 × 10^12
Therefore, 1.3/3 × 10^12 pollen grains is needed to form a circle centered at the center of the earth.