A human hair has a diameter of about 4×10^−3 inches. A fingernail is about 0.011 inches thicker. How thick is a fingernail? Write your answer as a decimal to 3 places.(1 point) inches

1 answer

To find the thickness of a fingernail, we need to add the thickness of the hair to the thickness difference provided.

The diameter of a human hair is: \[ 4 \times 10^{-3} \text{ inches} \] The thickness difference is: \[ 0.011 \text{ inches} \]

Now, we add these two values together: \[ \text{Thickness of fingernail} = 4 \times 10^{-3} + 0.011 \]

First, convert \( 4 \times 10^{-3} \) to decimal form: \[ 4 \times 10^{-3} = 0.004 \]

Now, add this to the thickness difference: \[ 0.004 + 0.011 = 0.015 \]

Thus, the thickness of a fingernail, rounded to three decimal places, is: \[ \boxed{0.015} \text{ inches} \]