A pollen grain has a diameter between 25 and 50 micrometres…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A pollen grain has a diameter between and micrometres. A student lays grains side by side in a row across mm.
- How many grains of diameter micrometres fit in the row?
- How many grains of diameter micrometres fit in the row?
- A grain of micrometres is as wide as two grains of micrometres. How many times is its volume larger, if both are spheres?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A pollen grain is the male gametophyte. Its exine is made of sporopollenin and has germ pores. Its intine is made of cellulose and pectin. A grain is about to micrometres wide, and mm is micrometres.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. Row length . Diameters and .
Plan. Divide the length by the diameter. Then use the cube for the volume.
Step 1. Small grains. grains.
Step 2. Large grains. grains.
Step 3. The volume. The diameter is doubled, so the volume is times larger.
Answer: ; ; .
Check. The larger grains are twice as wide, so half as many fit in the row.
Watch out. The volume grows faster than the width.
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