Cellular · Virology
Coronavirus particle
≈100 nmA membrane-wrapped virus particle whose crown-like proteins inspired the coronavirus name.
Cellular ↔ Cellular
How small is a coronavirus particle beside a red blood cell?
A representative virus diameter sits far below the width of a human red blood cell.
Linear ratio80×
Using the stated linear measurements, Red blood cell is 80× Coronavirus particle.
Cellular · Human biology
Red blood cell
≈8 µmA flexible oxygen-carrying disc that folds through capillaries narrower than itself.
The answer
A ratio, an analogy and the definitions behind both.
Using the stated linear measurements, Red blood cell is 80× Coronavirus particle.
About 80× Coronavirus particle linear spans fit across the selected measurement of Red blood cell.
representative virion diameter versus representative cell diameter
The metre values can be divided as linear spans, but the two entries do not describe identical kinds of boundary.
Coronavirus particle is variable; red blood cell is representative.
Representative, variable and model-dependent values are useful for perspective only when their status remains visible.
Measurement ledger
What exactly was divided?
| Landmark | Value | Measurement | Certainty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronavirus particle | ≈100 nm | representative virion diameter | Variable | CDC ↗ |
| Red blood cell | ≈8 µm | representative cell diameter | Representative | NIH / NCBI Bookshelf ↗ |