THE POWER OF 10
1. Nature is both so large and so small that it appears to mimic the number line going to
infinity in both directions (remember the number line travels to both positive and
negative infinity).
What is the largest thing you can think of? _____________ the smallest? __________
2. Where do humans fit into the SCALE of nature? SCALE refers to size relative to
other things. For example: how big is a human compared to a planet? The answer is
obvious to us because we know the relative size of these two objects. But here’s one
that’s not so obvious; how big is a human compared to a radio wave? _____________
3. As you view the slides write down one thing that you see
a. 100 meters = 1 meter_________________________________________
b. 101 meters = 10 meters _______________________________________
c. 102 meters = 100 meters ______________________________________
d. 103 meters = 1 km___________________________________________
e. 104 meters = 10 km __________________________________________
f. 105 meters = 100 km _________________________________________
g. 106 meters = ___ km ________________________________________
h. 107 meters = ____ km ________________________________________
i. 108 meters = ______km _______________________________________
j. 109 meters = _______km ______________________________________
k. 1010 meters = _________km ___________________________________
l. 1011 meters = ________ km ___________________________________
m. 1012 meters = ___________km _________________________________
n. 1013 meters = ___________km _________________________________
o. 1014 meters = ___________km _________________________________
p. 1015 meters = ___________km _________________________________
q. 1016 meters = ___________km = 1 light year ______________________
r. 1017 meters = 10 light years _____________________________________
s. 1018 meters = 100 light years ____________________________________
t. 1019 meters = ________light years ________________________________
u. 1020 meters = ________light years ________________________________
v. 1021 meters = ________light years ________________________________
w. 10-1 meters = 0.1meters _________________________________________
x. 10-2 meters = 0.01meters ________________________________________
y. 10-3 meters = 0.001 m =______mm____________________________
z. 10-4 meters = 0.1mm = 100 microns_________________________
aa. 10-5 meters = 0.01 mm=____microns__________________________
bb. 10-6 meters = _________microns _________________________________
cc. 10-7 meters = _________microns = 1000 angstroms __________________
dd. 10-8 meters = _________microns = ________angstroms _______________
ee. 10-9 meters = 10 angstroms = 1 nanometer __________________________
ff. 10-10 meters = ____ angstrom = 100 picometers ______________________
gg. 10-14 meters = ______ picometers = 10 fermis ______________________
hh. 10-16 meters = _______fermis ___________________________________
ii. There are even smaller _____________ that make up the proton and the neutron. In
fact there are many numbers of __________________. Many scientists are staking
their reputations on a ________________________ hypothesis known as string theory
that is a triumph of mathematics but as yet has no experimental __________________.
If strings do make up everything in the _____________________ their size is on an
order that is as small as an atom is to a ____________________________!