Work out how long it would take for the sperm cell to get to the egg cell. Show your working.

Understand the Problem

The question requires calculating the time it takes for a sperm cell to swim to the egg cell, given its swimming speed and the distance. We need to determine how far the sperm must travel to reach the egg, based on the diagram and the data provided.

Answer

The sperm cell takes $50$ minutes to reach the egg cell.

Steps to Solve

Determine the swimming speed of the sperm cell The problem states that sperm cells swim about 1 mm in every minute. This gives us the speed of the sperm cell: $$ \text{Speed} = 1 \text{ mm/minute} $$
Measure the distance from the sperm cell to the egg cell From the provided diagram, it is indicated that the distance between the sperm cell and the egg cell is 5 cm. We need to convert this distance into millimeters for consistency with the speed unit: $$ 5 \text{ cm} = 5 \times 10 \text{ mm} = 50 \text{ mm} $$
Calculate the time taken to swim the distance Using the formula for time, which is calculated as distance divided by speed: $$ \text{Time} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Speed}} $$ Substituting the values we have: $$ \text{Time} = \frac{50 \text{ mm}}{1 \text{ mm/minute}} = 50 \text{ minutes} $$

The time it takes for the sperm cell to reach the egg cell is 50 minutes.

More Information

This result shows the importance of unit consistency in calculations. Converting centimeters to millimeters allowed us to use the speed directly without conversion. The swimming speed of sperm cells highlights their biological function and efficiency in reproduction.

Tips

Not converting units: A common mistake may include neglecting to convert distances into the same unit as the speed, leading to incorrect calculations.
Misunderstanding swimming speed: Misinterpreting the speed of sperm cells can lead to errors in time calculation.

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