Question

An aspiring physicist wants to build a scale model of a hydrogen atom for her science fair project. If the atom is 1.00 m in diameter, how big should she try to make the nucleus?

a) 5.29 × 10^(-11) m
b) 2.65 × 10^(-11) m
c) 1.32 × 10^(-11) m
d) 8.42 × 10^(-12) m

Answer 1

The student should try to make the nucleus of the scale model approximately 10-14 m in diameter. Option b) 2.65 × 10(^-11) m is the correct answer. Building the scale model may be challenging due to the small size of the nucleus.The correct option is (b).

Step-by-step explanation:

To build a scale model of a hydrogen atom with a 1.00 m diameter, the student should try to make the nucleus approximately 10-14 m in diameter.

This is based on the fact that the typical atom has a diameter of the order of 10-10m and the nucleus is much smaller in diameter than the atom. Therefore, the answer is option b) 2.65 × 10^(-11) m.

As for how easy it will be to build the scale model, it may depend on the resources and materials available to the student.

However, since the nucleus is much smaller than the atom, it may be challenging to accurately represent it in the model. The student may need to use materials on a smaller scale or creative approaches to showcase the nucleus.