Question

As a contrast between the old and the modern and between the large and the small, consider the following: In old rural England 1 hide (110 acres) was the area of land needed to sustain one family with a single plough for one year. (An area of 1 acre is equal to 4047 m2.) Also, 1 wapentake was the area of land needed by 100 such families. In quantum physics, the cross-sectional area of a nucleus (defined in terms of the chance of a particle hitting and being absorbed by it) is measured in units of barns, where 1 barn is 1 × 10-28 m2 (exactly). (In nuclear physics jargon, if a nucleus is “large,” then shooting a particle at it is like shooting a bullet at a barn door, which can hardly be missed.) What is the ratio of 22 wapentakes to 16 barns?

Answer 1

To summarise: There are
100 hide per wapentake
110 acre per hide
4047 m^2 per acre
1E-28 m^2 per barn

Use these figures to convert 22 wapentake to barn. Divide that by 16 barn.