• Question: If everyone in the world (6 Billion) was an atom and we all lined up in a long line, how long would that line be?

    Asked by ExplosiveBiskit to David, Sarah on 21 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: David Foley

      David Foley answered on 21 Nov 2014:

      That would depend on the atomic radius of the atom in question. As atoms get bigger (more protons, neutrons and eletrons) their atomic radii also get bigger (in genral, there are some interesting trends as you go down and across the Periodic Table).

      So for hydrogen it would be 25 E-12 times 6 E9 = 0.15 m
      For caesium with a bigger radius of 260 E-12 this would become 1.56 m.

      E-12 is sceintific notation for 10 to the power of -12, also known as a picometer (pm). Personally I hate powers of ten – so I REALLY hope I’ve gotten this one right!

    • Photo: Sarah Ashwood

      Sarah Ashwood answered on 21 Nov 2014:

      David I know what ou mean! I’m glad I don’t have to use powers of 10 very often!!

      But as you can see, eve using large atoms like caesium if everybody on the planet was a atom linked in a chain it would only make a line as long as a metre and a half ! And that’s not even considering the fact that that line would be so thin you couldn’t actually see it!

      It is really a testimony to how tiny atoms are and how many of them it takes to form something that we can see and feel.

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