RAS question
Nanotechnology deals with materials at the scale of:
Correct answer: (D) 1-100 nanometers.
Nanotechnology deals with matter at the nanoscale, typically between 1 and 100 nanometers.
Explanation
Nanotechnology is about understanding and controlling matter at the nanoscale, not merely making small devices in a general sense. The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office defines this range as approximately 1 to 100 nanometers. That scale matters because materials can show unusual physical, chemical and biological properties there, different from their behaviour as bulk materials, single atoms or molecules. Nanotechnology involves manipulating matter at 1-100 nanometers, where unique physical and chemical properties appear. Therefore, among the options, only 1-100 nanometers matches both the accepted nanoscale range and the reason this field is treated separately in science and technology.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1-100 millimeters is a macroscopic range, far larger than the nanoscale used to define nanotechnology.
- (B) 1-100 centimeters is also macroscopic, so it describes everyday-sized objects rather than matter controlled at nanoscale dimensions.
- (C) 1-100 micrometers belongs to the microscale, not the 1-100 nanometer range specified for nanotechnology.
Concept
This tests the basic Science and Technology concept of scale: nanotechnology is defined by the nanoscale range at which material properties can change. RAS questions recur on such definitions because they separate precise scientific terms from similar-sounding metric units.