Nanotechnology – The Five W’s
Name: _________________________________
Hour: _______
As you are reading “What is Nanotechnology?”, fill in the details to answer the following questions.
What is nanotechnology? What
is it used to measure?
Who works with objects on the
nanoscale?
Where do scientists work with
objects that are only
nanometers big?
How does nanotechnology
work? How do scientists use
objects at the nanoscale and
machines to make products
better?
Why is nanotechnology
important to us?
20 word summary: What is nanotechnology?
Converting Units of Measurement
Let’s practice what we know…..
Use the table below to convert the following units of measurement.
Conversion Factors
1 yd = 3 ft
1 m = 100 cm
1 km = 1000 m
1 t = 2000 lb
1 kg = 1000 g
1.
15 ft = _____ yd
2.
650 m = ______ km
3.
258 t = ______ lb
4.
6 m = _____ cm
5.
2987 lb = _____ t
6.
92 yd = _____ ft
Now let’s convert on the nanoscale…
Conversion Factors
1 micrometer (um) = 1000 nanometers (nm)
1 millimeter (mm) = 1,000,000 nanometers (nm)
1 centimeters (cm) = 10,000,000 nanometers (nm)
1 meter (m) = 1,000,000,000 nanometers (nm)
1 kilometer (km) = 1,000,000,000,000 nanometers (nm)
1.
Your pinky finger is about 1 cm wide. Find out how many nanometers your pinky finger
would measure.
2. The world's longest suspension bridge, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge measures 1,991 m. How many
nanometers long is the bridge?
3.
Shaquille O'Neill, is 2.1 meters tall. How many nanometers is he?
4. Grains of sand range from 0.1 mm to 2 mm in size. Suppose a grain of sand was 1.5 mm In size,
how many nanometers is it?
5. The diameter of a hair, which is 40-50 microns wide. Suppose the diameter was 45 micrometers
wide, how many nanometers is it?
What is nanotechnology?
To understand nanotechnology, first you should know it’s a big word
for some mighty small stuff. In fact, "small" as we know it doesn’t
even come close to being small enough.
Let’s learn some things about the first part of the word. "Nano"
comes from the Greek word for dwarf. Today, scientists use nano as
a measure for something that requires special microscopes for them
to see. A nanometer is a unit of measure. Just like inches, feet and miles. By definition a nanometer is
one-billionth of a meter. Grab a ruler, and flip to the centimeter side. See how long 1 centimeter is?
Now imagine if you could fit 10 million points between 0 and 1. The space between two of those
points is a nanometer. Do you only have inches on your ruler? Well, imagine 25 million points
crammed inside of one inch. Don’t try it. Just trust us!
So, now we’re talking tiny. Something smaller than a cell in your body. Way smaller than the head of
a pin or thinner than a hair on your head – though people who know nano say hairs can be very
different so we’ll stay away from that. Either way, it’s definitely too small
to see.
As for technology, you may know that factories make big things like
cars. When it comes to nanotechnology, scientists work in factories, too.
But they are called fabrication facilities, or fabs for short. It’s here where
the technology part comes in: scientists use machines that take things
only nanometers big, move and mix them with other ingredients, and
turn them into materials that help make car parts stronger and lighter.
Pants and shirts that keep stains away. Or sunscreens and medicines
that work better. Nanotechnology could even help clean up polluted water or land.
Of course, scientists don’t even know everything about nanotechnology. Students and teachers in
colleges all over the world use those super-powerful microscopes and other machines to learn how
nanometer size things work. Like all chemicals and materials, they have to be sure they know what
they are doing before they use them. And they have to be very careful that they are using them right.
You’ll be hearing a lot more about nanotechnology in the years ahead. It might even be something
you’ll want to study in high school or college. For now, Nanooze is here to help you learn a little bit
about this super small world and have some fun while you’re at it.
http://www.nanooze.org/english/articles/article1_whatisnanotechnology.html