The mass of a hydrogen atom is about 1.67E-24 grams. The mass of a plutonium atom is about 4.05E-22 grams. How many times more grams is an atom of plutonium than an atom of hydrogen?

A.
2.43 × 10^2
B.
2.43 × 10^-2
C.
2.43 × 10^-3
D.
2.43 × 10^3

1 answer

To determine how many times more grams an atom of plutonium is than an atom of hydrogen, we can use the following formula:

\[ \text{Factor} = \frac{\text{Mass of Plutonium}}{\text{Mass of Hydrogen}} \]

Given:

  • Mass of hydrogen atom = \(1.67 \times 10^{-24}\) grams
  • Mass of plutonium atom = \(4.05 \times 10^{-22}\) grams

Now we can substitute the values into the formula:

\[ \text{Factor} = \frac{4.05 \times 10^{-22}}{1.67 \times 10^{-24}} \]

Calculating the above gives:

\[ \text{Factor} = 4.05 \div 1.67 \times 10^{-22 + 24} = 4.05 \div 1.67 \times 10^{2} \]

Now, performing the division:

\[ 4.05 \div 1.67 \approx 2.43 \]

So,

\[ \text{Factor} \approx 2.43 \times 10^{2} \]

Therefore, an atom of plutonium is approximately \(2.43 \times 10^{2}\) times more massive than an atom of hydrogen.

The correct answer is: A. \(2.43 \times 10^{2}\).