MHB Finding the approximate diameter of an oil molecule

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To find the approximate diameter of an oil molecule, one can start by calculating the volume of the oil droplet using its mass and density. The volume can be determined with the formula: volume = mass/density. Once the volume is known, the area of the oil slick can be calculated using the radius of the circle it forms on the water surface. Dividing the volume by the area gives the thickness of the oil layer, which is approximately one molecule thick, allowing for the estimation of the diameter of an oil molecule. This method provides a practical approach to solving the problem.
joshuas09
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How do you solve a question like this ? :you can obtain a rough estimate of the following simple experiment-let a droplet of oil spread out on a fairly large but smooth water surface .the resulting oil slick that forms On the surface of the water will be approximately one molecule thick. Given an oil droplet with a mass of 9.00 x 10^-7kg and a density of 918kg/m^3 that spreads out to form a circle with a radius of 41.8 cm on the water surface , what is the approximate diameter of an oil molecule?
 
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I have moved your post into its own thread in a better suited forum. Tagging this question onto an exiting thread in a probability forum would likely have resulted in your question being largely ignored.

I would begin with the relationship between density and volume. We are given mass and density of the drop of oil, can you find the volume?
 

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