Real-Life Math -- Solution
You want to figure out how many spores would be in the giant puffball,
based on the diameter.
You are given:
- The diameter of the giant puffball is 1.2 meters.
- One spore is 10 microns, or micrometers.
1 micron = 1/1000000 of a meter or 10-6 m
Therefore,
the length of one spore in meters is:
10 microns x 1/1000000
meters per micron = 1/100000 meters
or 10 x 10-6
m = 10-5 m
To find out how many spores fit in a diameter
of 1.2 meters, divide 1.2 meters by 10-5 meters:
1.2 m
/ 10-5 m = 1.2 m x 105 m = 120000
Therefore,
there are 120,000 spores in the diameter.
"I often use measurements
like this in my research," says Tom Volk, a professional mycologist. "A large
puffball of this size could contain trillions of spores when you measure the
volume."