the size of a hydrogen atom is about 1.2\times 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?

Answer 1

To find the difference in size between these two atoms, we subtract the size of the hydrogen atom from the size of the oxygen atom:

0.000000000152 m - 1.2 × 10^(-10) m

To subtract these numbers, we need to write them in the same scientific notation format. We can write 0.000000000152 m as 1.52 × 10^(-10) m to make it easier to subtract:

1.52 × 10^(-10) m - 1.2 × 10^(-10) m

Now we subtract the numbers without changing the powers of 10:

(1.52 - 1.2) × 10^(-10) m

The difference in size between these atoms is:

0.32 × 10^(-10) m

In scientific notation, we write this as:

3.2 × 10^(-11) m