Q.2.59 - An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry

Question

Use metric conversion factors to solve each of the following problems: 

a.If a student is 175 cm tall, how tall is the student in meters? 

b. A cooler has a volume of 5000 mL. What is the capacity of the cooler in liters? 

c. A hummingbird has a mass of 0.0055 kg. What is the mass, in grams, of the hummingbird? 

d. A balloon has a volume of 3500 cm³. What is the volume in liters?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

a. 1.75 m

b. 5 L

c. 5.5 g

d. 3.5 L

Step 1: Part (a) Given Information

A student is 175 cm tall.

Step 1: Part (a) Explanation

If a student is 175 cm tall, then its height in meters can be determined by following the unit conversion method.

$1 m= 100 cm$

So,

$175 cm\times \frac{1 m}{100 cm}=1.75 m$

Thus, a student is 1.75 m tall.

Step 1: Part (b) Given Information

A cooler has a volume of 5000 mL.  

Step 2: Part (b) Explanation

A cooler has a volume of 5000 mL, in order to determine the cooler's capacity in L we will follow a unit conversion method.

$1 L=1000 mL$

So,

$5000 mL\times \frac{1 L}{1000 mL}=5 L$

Thus, the volume of  a cooler is 5 L.

Step 1: Part (c) Given Information

A hummingbird has a mass of 0.0055 kg. 

Step 2: Part (c) Explanation

A hummingbird has a mass of 0.0055 kg. In order to determine the mass of this bird in grams, we will follow the unit conversion method.

$1 Kg=1000 g$

So,

$0.0055 Kg\times \frac{1000 g}{1 Kg}=5.5 g$

Thus, the mass of the hummingbird is 5.5 g.

Step 1: Part (d) Given Information

A balloon has a volume of 3500 cm³.

Step 1: Part (d) Explanation

A balloon has a volume of 3500 cm³. In order to determine the volume of the balloon in liters, we will follow the unit conversion method.

 $1 L=1000 c{m}^3$

So,

$3500 c{m}^3\times \frac{1 L}{1000 c{m}^3}=3.5 L$

Thus, the volume of a ballon is 3.5 L.