Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A drop of oleic acid solution holds of pure acid. On water, the acid spreads into a film of area . Taking the film to be one molecule thick, how big is a molecule, in metres?
An oil film spread on water until it is one molecule thick gives the size of a molecule:
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.
Step 1. Thickness. .
Step 2. In metres. .
Answer: About , a few nanometres.
Check. Molecules are about to across, and oleic acid is a long one. A few nanometres fits.
Watch out. gives centimetres. Do not forget the last change to metres.
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