A mammalian HELA cell has a diameter of 2 * 10-5 m. Report the diameter of the cell using the most appropriate prefix on the base unit of meter. (LO 1.5) (d) 0.2 mm

Key Concepts

Metric Prefixes

Metric prefixes are used to denote specific powers of ten, making it easier to express large or small quantities. For example, 'milli-' represents one-thousandth (10^-3), while 'micro-' represents one-millionth (10^-6). Understanding these prefixes is essential for converting measurements into more manageable forms.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion involves changing a measurement from one unit to another while maintaining its value. In this case, converting meters to millimeters requires multiplying by 1,000, as there are 1,000 millimeters in a meter. Mastery of unit conversion is crucial for accurately reporting measurements in scientific contexts.

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a method of expressing numbers as a product of a coefficient and a power of ten, which simplifies the representation of very large or very small numbers. For instance, 2 * 10^-5 m can be interpreted as 0.00002 m. This notation is particularly useful in scientific disciplines for clarity and precision.