A typical virus particle is about across

PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Biophysics & Medical Physics · Physical foundations of the living cell · Physical foundations of the living cell

Life at Thermal Energy, Ch The scales of life and the thermal energy

Problem

A typical virus particle is about

100\,\mathrm{nm}

across. On the chapter's logarithmic length axis, a water molecule sits at

0.3\,\mathrm{nm}

, a ribosome at

20\,\mathrm{nm}

, E. coli at

1

2\,\mathrm{\mu m}

and a person at

2\,\mathrm{m}

. ((a)) How many powers of ten above the water molecule does the virus sit, and how many below the person? ((b)) Between which two of the other objects listed does it fall, and is it nearer the ribosome or E. coli on this axis?

Browse the problem library