Order Of Magnitude And Estimation
The diameter of a hydrogen atom is approximately 1.06 × 10^{-10} metre; what is the correct order of magnitude of this length in metre?
Select the correct option:
🔒 Solution Hidden from View
Submit your answer to unlock the detailed step-by-step solution.
More physics and measurement Practice Questions
A workshop technician uses a screw gauge whose pitch is 1 mm and whose circular scale carries 100 eq...
A workshop technician uses a screw gauge whose pitch is 1 mm and whose circular scale carries 100 eq...
An experiment determines acceleration due to gravity using a pendulum, with the period known to 1% a...
An experiment determines acceleration due to gravity using a pendulum, with the period known to 1% a...
A researcher derives the time period of a simple pendulum and suspects it depends on length and grav...
A researcher derives the time period of a simple pendulum and suspects it depends on length and grav...
Four students repeatedly measure a fixed rod whose true length is 50.0 cm, and one student's reading...
Four students repeatedly measure a fixed rod whose true length is 50.0 cm, and one student's reading...
A traffic study records a vehicle moving at a steady speed of 72 km/h along a straight highway segme...
A traffic study records a vehicle moving at a steady speed of 72 km/h along a straight highway segme...
A physicist examines the coefficient of viscosity that appears when describing the slow flow of hone...
A physicist examines the coefficient of viscosity that appears when describing the slow flow of hone...
A surveyor multiplies a measured length of 4.2 m by a measured width of 3.15 m to find the area of a...
A surveyor multiplies a measured length of 4.2 m by a measured width of 3.15 m to find the area of a...
An observatory uses the parallax method to measure the distance of a nearby star by recording its an...
An observatory uses the parallax method to measure the distance of a nearby star by recording its an...
A teacher writes the kinetic energy expression for a moving ball and asks students to confirm its di...
A teacher writes the kinetic energy expression for a moving ball and asks students to confirm its di...
A student records the period of an oscillating spring four times as 2.01 s, 2.05 s, 1.99 s and 2.03 ...
A student records the period of an oscillating spring four times as 2.01 s, 2.05 s, 1.99 s and 2.03 ...
While studying photon energy, a learner encounters Planck's constant in the relation linking energy ...
While studying photon energy, a learner encounters Planck's constant in the relation linking energy ...
A student tries to verify an equation containing a sum of a trigonometric term and a constant using ...
A student tries to verify an equation containing a sum of a trigonometric term and a constant using ...
About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- physics and measurement
- Topic
- order of magnitude and estimation
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
10−10
The order of magnitude of a quantity is the power of ten nearest to the number when it is written in scientific notation as a × 10^b. The rule states that if the coefficient a is less than the square root of ten, about 3.16, the order of magnitude is simply 10^b; if a is 3.16 or greater, we round up to 10^(b+1). Here the value is 1.06 × 10^-10, and the coefficient 1.06 is comfortably below 3.16, so the order of magnitude remains 10^-10. The choice 10^-9 would apply only if the coefficient exceeded 3.16, which it does not. The choice 10^-11 mistakenly rounds the coefficient down past the lower power of ten. The choice 10^-8 is off by two powers and is far too large for atomic dimensions. This estimation technique is exactly how NCERT teaches comparison of physical scales from nuclei to galaxies. A reasonableness check confirms it: atomic sizes are universally quoted in angstroms, and one angstrom equals 10^-10 metre, matching the result.
This easy difficulty physics question is from the chapter physics and measurement, covering the topic of order of magnitude and estimation. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
Looking for more practice? Explore all physics questions or browse physics and measurement questions on RankGuru.