Question

When oil is spilled in water, it creates a thin film of water approximately 1 micron thick. A barrel of oil is approximately 42 gallons of oil. If we spill a barrel of oil on the water, what is the area covered by the oil slick

Draw a sketch showing the relevant dimensions.
State your answer in square meters.
State your answer in square kilometers.

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

• 158,987 m²
• 0.158986 km²

Explanation:

42 gallons is about 0.158987 cubic meters. 1 micron is 1 micro-meter, or 10^-6 meters. The volume is the product of the area and thickness. For some area A, we have ...

0.158987 m³ = (10^-6 m)A

A = (10^6)(0.158987 m² = 158,987 m²

The area in square meters is 158,987.

__

A square km is (1000 m)² = 10^6 m². So, the area in square kilometers is about ...

(158,987 m²)/(10^6 m²/km²) = 0.158987 km²

The area in square km is about 0.1590.