A possible wavelength for the color blue is 0.000000492 meter. Which of the following is a reasonable estimate for this wavelength for the color blue?

Question

A.
5 × 10^6 m
B.
5 × 10^-6 m
C.
5 × 10^7 m
D.
5 × 10^-7 m

Answer 1

To convert the given wavelength of blue light from meters to scientific notation, we start with the value 0.000000492 meters.

To express this in scientific notation:

1. Move the decimal point to the right until there is one non-zero digit to the left. This means moving the decimal point 7 places to the right.
2. This gives us \(4.92\), and since we moved the decimal 7 places to the right, we multiply by \(10^{-7}\).

So, \(0.000000492\) meters can be expressed as: \[ 4.92 \times 10^{-7} \text{ m} \]

Now, looking at the options provided, the closest reasonable estimate is:

D. \( 5 \times 10^{-7} \text{ m} \)

Thus, the correct answer is D.