Question

The major components of human blood are red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. A typical red blood cell has a diameter of approximately 7 × 10^–6 metres. A typical platelet has a diameter of approximately 2.33 × 10^–6 metre. Which has a greater diameter, a red blood cell or a platelet?

Answer 1

Given, diameter of red blood cell = 7 × 10^–6 m and diameter of platelet = 2.33 × 10^–6 m

We know that, two numbers written in scientific notation can be compared. The number with the larger power of 10 is greater than the number with the smaller power of 10. If the powers of ten are the same, then the number with the larger factor is the larger number. Therefore, red blood cell has a greater diameter than a platelet.