Practice: If the distance between Washington, D.C. and New York City is 224.9 miles, determine the distance in centimeters.
We use dimensional analysis as a fail proof process to convert from one unit to another.
Dimensional Analysis
Concept #1: Dimensional Analysis
Using Dimensional Analysis, start with the given amount and obtain the end amount by using conversion factors.
Example #1: A TA can grade 4 assignments per hour. If each assignment has 12 questions, how many questions can the TA grade in 130 minutes?
Practice: The average human body is composed of approximately 160 fluid ounces of blood. How many quarts of blood does the average human body possess? (1 gallon = 4 quarts, 1 pint = 2 cups, 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces, 1 quart = 2 pints).
Practice: Lipitor, a pharmaceutical drug that has been shown to lower “bad” cholesterol levels, while boosting “good” cholesterol levels had over $12 billion in sales last year. Each pill weighs 2.5 g, which contains 4.0% of the active ingredient by mass. What mass in kg of the active ingredient is present in one bottle of 120 pills?
