Algebra 1 : Converting Measurements

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Algebra 1

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Example Questions

Example Question #71 : Converting Measurements

Convert  to feet.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

There are a total of 12 inches in one foot.

Write the dimensional analysis for the conversion.

Reduce the fraction.

The answer is:  

Example Question #72 : Converting Measurements

You have a piece of metal that has a mass of  and you are going to place it on top of a sensitive device that cannot support a mass over . You need to make sure your piece does not have a mass greater than the maximum value on the device. Convert the mass of your metal to .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

If we have an equation or expression or value such as the mass given in grams and we want to multiply it by something, we can multiply it by  and it will not change anything. When you convert units you are actually multiplying the value by . For example,

Since we are saying that one kilogram is equal to one thousand grams, we can divide both sides by  and get

Even though the units are different, we are still saying that since they are equal the above expression is true. Likewise we can flip the equation and it will still equal one,

We can use either of these, but our goal is to multiply our mass in grams by  and cancel the appropriate units. Let's try this:

Ok, that didn't turn out how we want it. We need to cancel  and have  left over. Let's try the second expression,

See how the grams cancel out and we are left with kilograms on the top? So we multiplied the value of the mass by  and made sure the units we didn't want canceled and we were left with the appropriate units.

Example Question #73 : Converting Measurements

It takes Richard an hour to travel a mile.  If Richard travels for 300 minutes, how many miles has he completed?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Reconvert the hour into minutes.  There are 60 minutes in an hour.

Set up a proportion so that we can find how many miles Richard has traveled.

Cross multiply. 

Divide by 60 on both sides.

Simplify both sides.

Richard would have traveled five miles.

Example Question #74 : Converting Measurements

Convert eight inches to yards.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In order to convert from inches to yards, we will need to know the dimensional conversion from inches to feet, and from feet to yards.

There are 12 inches in a foot, and there are 3 feet in a yard.

Set up a dimensional analysis to convert the dimensions.

The inches and feet dimensions will cancel, leaving us with yards as the final unit.

Simplify the expression.

Example Question #75 : Converting Measurements

A map is drawn with a scale factor of a mile per quarter inch.  If a location is 3.75 inches away, how many miles is this?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Write the conversion relating miles and inches.  The map is drawn where one mile is traveled per quarter inch marked.

Rewrite 3.75 into a fraction.

Multiply this dimension with the conversion to determine how many miles is the certain location. 

The inches unit will cancel, and will leave us with the mile unit.  Multiply the numerator with the numerator and the denominator with the denominator.

The location is 15 miles away.

Example Question #76 : Converting Measurements

Convert  to .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

There are  in . Write the conversion factor. The feet should be on the bottom since we will be multiplying the  with this conversion factor.

Multiply the  with this conversion factor to get the dimension in yards.

Example Question #71 : Converting Measurements

Convert two days into seconds.

Possible Answers:

2,880 seconds

86,400 seconds

None of these answers

172,800 seconds

187,200 seconds

Correct answer:

172,800 seconds

Explanation:

To convert from one measurement to another simply multiply or divide by all the measurements in between. Notice how each successive fraction has a denominator that cancels with the previous fraction so that we are finally left with just the measurement we want. Be careful to make sure the that you always write a correct ratio. 

 

Example Question #78 : Converting Measurements

How many seconds are in  hours?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

There are sixty minutes in an hour, and sixty seconds in a minute.  We need to find the conversion from hours to seconds. 

Since seconds per hour will be the primary unit, write the dimensional analysis to do this conversion.

Multiply  hours with this conversion factor.

The answer is .

Example Question #79 : Converting Measurements

Convert  to .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

There are twelve inches in a foot. Write the dimensional analysis.

To get an answer in feet, we will need to eliminate the inches dimension.

The answer is:  

Example Question #80 : Converting Measurements

Convert  to .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

There are twelve inches in a foot.   Write the dimensional analysis.

To get an answer in feet, we will need to eliminate the inches dimension.

The answer is:  

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