Environmental Engineering Reference
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Figure 1.1 (a) The known dimensional scale of the universe. On the small end, fundamental
particles such as electrons and quarks are smaller than 10 18 m, and may approach 10 30 m
in size or smaller, but such dimensions are not physically measurable at least at this time.
Other stops depicted along this dimensional journey include: the scale of the solid earth
sciences, from atoms to Earth (10 10 -10 7 m); the Sun (10 9 m in diameter) as seen from the
Extreme UV Imaging Telescope on the SOHO satellite; expanding gas rings (10 16 m in dia-
meter) from supernova SN1987a as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope; infrared image
of the inner portion of our own galaxy (the Milky Way is nearly 10 21 m in diameter); and
distant galaxies (the most distant are 10 26 m away). (b) The dimensional scale of the earth
sciences. Stops depicted along this dimensional journey include: scanning tunneling micro-
scope image of lead and sulfur atoms on a galena surface (atomic size 10 10 m); crystallization
nucleus of calcite (10 9 -10 8 m); bacterial cells (10 6 m in length); a single crystal of quartz
(10 2 m); a typical open pit mine (the Carlin Mine in Nevada, USA, 10 2 -10 3 m); Mount Fuji,
Japan, a composite volcano (10 4 m); the Red Sea from space (10 5 m wide and 10 6 m long);
Earth (10 7 m); the Earth-Moon system as seen from Apollo 11 (4
10 8 m). (Reprinted from
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , 66 , M. F. Hochella, There's plenty of room at the
bottom: nanoscience in geochemistry, 735-43. Copyright 2002, with permission from
Elsevier.)
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