A man is 1.7 m long. A paramecium is 85 µm long. How does the length of the man compare to the length of the paramecium?

A. The man is five (5) times larger than the paramecium.

B. The man is five (5) times smaller than the paramecium.

C. The man is twenty thousand (2 x 104) times larger than the paramecium.

D. The man is twenty thousand (2 x 104) times smaller than the paramecium.

Answer is C. The man is twenty thousand (2 x 10⁴) times larger than the paramecium.

1 meter (m) = 10⁶ micrometers (µm)

Therefore, 1.7 m = 1.7 * 10⁶ µm

Thus, the length of the man compared to the length of the paramecium will be

1.7 * 10⁶ / 85 = 2 * 10⁴.

Therefore, length of the man is 2 * 10⁴ times larger than the length of the paramecium.

The correct answer is option C.

Explanation:

The given question requires the knowledge of the standard unit meter. By convention, the meter can be converted into micrometers in order to come to the conclusion. 1 meter is equal to 10⁶ micrometers. Thus, 1.7 meters = 1.7 * 10⁶ micrometers.

There is a need to divide the height of the man with the length of the paramecium, which is 85 micrometers long.

Therefore, the length of the man in comparison to the length of the paramecium will be:

1.7 * 10⁶ / 85 = 2 * 10⁴

Hence, the length of the man is 2 * 10⁴ times larger in comparison to the length of the paramecium.