[neilep (OP)]

I have been studying a grain of sand under my very poweful 10 X magnifying glass.

I still can not see the atoms.

My daughter (10 years) tells me they are a lot smaller than that...yeah right !!!..LOL..anyway...my best guess is that there could be about what 20-30 atoms in a grain of sand ?

My daughter (still 10 ) reckons there's billions !!..LOL...come on...get real !!..

Do I really have to move up to my 15 x magnifying glass to to see them or not ?

So, how many atoms are there in a grain of sand...she wins £10 if there is more than a hundred !!
I win a hug if there is less....I am confident.







 []

[daveshorts]

Sand is made up of Silica this has the formula SiO₂
silicon weighs 28 atomic units
Oxygen weighs 16 atomic units
so each SiO₂ weighs 60 atomic units

there are 6.023 x 10²³ atomic units in a gram. that is 6 with 23 zeros after it.

so there would be 6.023 x 10²³ / 60 = 1x 10²² SiO₂s in a gram
so
3 x 10²² atoms in a gram

Say a grain of sand is 1mm across it has a volume of 0.001cm³
1cm³ of sand weighs aboout 2.6g

so a grain of sand will
weigh 0.0026g

so to fing the number of atoms in a grain of sand we multiply the number of atoms per gram by the number og grams:

3 x 10²² x  0.0026g = 7.8 x 10¹⁹ atoms

or
 
78 000 000 000 000 000 000

Sorry Neil

[neilep (OP)]

Dave,

Are you sure ?..did you count them ?

Did you let slip your fingers on the '0' key ?

I am being prodded in the side by my daughter !!

*le sigh* she wins £10...and I get a hug anyway.

Thanks Dave.



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[Carolyn]

YAYYYYYY Charlotte!

[neilep (OP)]

YAYYYYYY Charlotte!

Yep...she's quite the bright one...

LOL...Now she is saying that clouds are made from water vapor ..LOL LOL LOL ....when we all really know they are made from cotton wool !!..*le sigh*...she'll learn !!

[Karen W.]

LOL Good Job Charlotte!! ...Go Get em..

And Neil She has already learned all she needs to know.....she has you wrapped right around her little finger where your supposed to be!!...Hugs to you both...LOL

[neilep (OP)]

LOL Good Job Charlotte!! ...Go Get em..

And Neil She has already learned all she needs to know.....she has you wrapped right around her little finger where your supposed to be!!...Hugs to you both...LOL

LOL....you're soooo right there Karen Mam... []

[Karen W.]

Yes I know I am.. Your just a big softy!!! LOL LOL