Platelets and red blood cells are components of the blood. A typical platelet and red blood cell have diameters of approximately 2.33 x 10^-6 m and 0.0000075 m,
respectively.
To compare the sizes of platelets and red blood cells, let's convert their diameters to scientific notation for easier comparison:
1. Platelet diameter: 2.33 x 10^-6 m
2. Red blood cell diameter: 0.0000075 m
Now, let's compare the sizes step-by-step:
1. Convert the platelet diameter to scientific notation:
- 2.33 x 10^-6 m
2. Convert the red blood cell diameter to scientific notation:
- 0.0000075 m = 7.5 x 10^-6 m (because there are four zeros between the decimal point and 7)
Now, both values are in scientific notation, and we can easily compare them:
- Platelet diameter: 2.33 x 10^-6 m
- Red blood cell diameter: 7.5 x 10^-6 m
From the comparison, we can see that the red blood cell diameter is larger than the platelet diameter.
To find the ratio of the diameter of a platelet to that of a red blood cell, we can simply divide the diameter of the platelet by the diameter of the red blood cell.
First, let's convert the given diameters to scientific notation:
Diameter of platelet = 2.33 x 10^-6 m
Diameter of red blood cell = 7.5 x 10^-6 m
Now, we can find the ratio:
Ratio = (Diameter of platelet) / (Diameter of red blood cell)
= (2.33 x 10^-6 m) / (7.5 x 10^-6 m)
To divide in scientific notation, we subtract the exponents and then divide the coefficients:
Ratio = (2.33 / 7.5) x (10^-6 / 10^-6)
= 0.31 x 1
= 0.31
Therefore, the ratio of the diameter of a platelet to that of a red blood cell is approximately 0.31.