The size of a hydrogen atom is about 1.2×10^−10 m across. The size of an oxygen atom is 0.000000000152 m across. What is the difference between the sizes of these atoms in scientific notation?(1 point)

3.2×10^−11 m
2.72×10^−10 m
3.2×10^−9 m
3.2 ×10^−10 m

1 answer

To find the difference between the sizes of the hydrogen atom and the oxygen atom, we first need to express their sizes in scientific notation properly:

  1. Size of a hydrogen atom: \[ 1.2 \times 10^{-10} \text{ m} \]

  2. Size of an oxygen atom: \[ 0.000000000152 \text{ m} = 1.52 \times 10^{-10} \text{ m} \]

Next, we calculate the difference:

\[ \text{Difference} = \text{Size of hydrogen atom} - \text{Size of oxygen atom} \] \[ = 1.2 \times 10^{-10} \text{ m} - 1.52 \times 10^{-10} \text{ m} \] \[ = (1.2 - 1.52) \times 10^{-10} \text{ m} \] \[ = -0.32 \times 10^{-10} \text{ m} \] \[ = -3.2 \times 10^{-11} \text{ m} \]

Since the options provided include only positive values, we will use the absolute value of the difference, giving us:

\[ 3.2 \times 10^{-11} \text{ m} \]

Thus, the correct answer is

3.2 × 10^−11 m.