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CH 01 HW
CH 01 HW
CH 01 HW
A Trip to Europe
Learning Goal:
To understand how to use unit conversion to solve problems.
Unit conversion is not limited to physics problems but is part of our everyday life, correct use of conversion factors is
essential to working through problems of practical importance.
For example, unit conversion could be used in problems involving currency exchange. Say you want to calculate how
many euros you get if you exchange 3600 US dollars (USD ), given the exchange rate 1 EUR = 1.20 USD , that is,
1 euro to 1.20 US dollars . Begin by writing down the starting value, 3600 USD . This can also be written as a fraction:
3600 USD
.
1
Next, convert dollars to euros. This conversion involves multiplying by a simple conversion factor derived from the
exchange rate:
1.00 EUR
.
1.20 USD
Note that the "dollar" unit, USD , should appear on the bottom of this conversion factor, since USD appears on the top
of the starting value.
Finally, since dollars are divided by dollars, the units can be canceled and the final result is
3600 USD
1
Currency exchange is only one example of many practical situations where unit conversion may help you to work through
problems. Remember that unit conversion involves multiplying a given value by a conversion factor, resulting in a value in
the new units. The conversion factor can be the ratio of any two quantities, as long as the ratio is equal to one.
You and your friends are organizing a trip to Europe. Your plan is to rent a car and drive through the major European
capitals. By consulting a map you estimate that you will cover a total distance of 5000 km. Consider the euro-dollar
exchange rate given in the introduction and use unit conversion to work through these simple problems.
Part A
You select a rental package that includes a car with an average consumption of 6.00 liters of fuel per 100 km.
Considering that in Europe the average fuel cost is 1.063 euros/liter , how much (in US dollars) will you spend in
fuel on your trip?
Express your answer numerically in US dollars to three significant figures.
Hint 2. Find the unit factor to express the cost of fuel in euros
Which of these unit factors can be used to calculate the cost of fuel in euros?
When calculating the total cost of fuel in euros, you divide kilometers by kilometers (and cancel out the
kilometer units) and multiply the resulting value in liters by a conversion factor that has the liter unit at
the bottom, so that again you can cancel out units.
ANSWER:
1 EUR
1.063 liters
1.063 EUR
1 liter
1 liter
1.063 EUR
1.063 liters
1 EUR
USD
Correct
Part B
How many gallons of fuel would the rental car consume per mile?
Express your answer numerically in gallons per mile to three significant figures.
ANSWER:
2.55102
gallons/mile
Correct
Part C
What is the average cost, in dollars per gallon, of fuel in Europe?
Express your answer numerically in dollars per gallon to three significant figures.
ANSWER:
4.83
USD/gallon
Correct
Neptunium
In the fall of 2002, a group of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory determined that the critical mass of
neptunium-237 is about 60.0 kg . The critical mass of a fissionable material is the minimum amount that must be brought
together to start a chain reaction. Neptunium-237 has a density of 19.5 g/cm 3 .
Part A
What would be the radius r of a sphere of neptunium-237 that has a critical mass?
Express your answer in centimeters to three significant figures.
Correct
Hint 3. Find the needed volume
The density of a material is the ratio of its mass \texttip{m}{m} to its volume \texttip{V}{V} (i.e., \rho=m/V).
Solve this equation for \texttip{V}{V} and then plug in the critical mass in grams with the density in grams per
cubic centimeter to get the necessary volume.
Express your answer in cubic centimeters to three significant figures.
ANSWER:
\texttip{V}{V} = 3080
\rm cm^3
\texttip{r}{r} = 9.02
\rm cm
Correct
Part A
How many people can fit into the Pentagon, which was once the largest office building in the world? Assume that
everybody must be standing on the floor.
Round the answer to the nearest power of 10 and then express your answer as the order of magnitude. For
instance, if your estimated answer is 3\times10^5, enter 5. If your estimated answer is 8.7\times10^5, you
should enter 6 (rounding up to the next power of 10).
ANSWER:
6
Correct
Your process for solving this problem might have been something like this:
First, a simple library or Internet search would tell you that the largest building in the world (in terms of the total
floor area) is the Pentagon, the main building of the U.S. Department of Defense. Its total floor area is about
6.5\times10^6\;{\rm ft}^2 but only 3.8\times10^6\;{\rm ft}^2 can be occupied; it would be hard to stand inside a
wall! Assuming that an average person occupies about 2.0 {\rm ft}^2 when standing (a conservative estimate),
we can see that about 1.9\times10^6 people (more than three times the entire population of Washington, DC)
could fit into the Pentagonassuming the floors held up!
Your own answer may have been different from ours or used different details; however, the order of magnitude
was, hopefully, the same.
Part B
If the entire population of the United States forms a human chain by holding hands, how many times can such a
chain be wrapped around the earth's equator?
Round your answer to the nearest integer.
ANSWER:
6
Correct
Here is one way to solve this problem:
There are about 300 million people in the United States. The distance between the tips of a person's
outstretched hands is roughly equal to the height of the person. Counting children, we estimate the average
palm-to-palm distance as one meter. Since the equator is about 40 million meters long, division yields about 7.5.
However, in this part any answer between 5 and 15 is considered correctafter all, we are just estimating.
Part C
How many times does your heart beat during your lifetime?
Round the answer to the nearest power of 10 and then express your answer as the order of magnitude. For
instance, if your estimated answer is 3\times10^5, enter 5. If your estimated answer is 8.7\times10^5, you
should enter 6 (rounding up to the next power of 10).
ANSWER:
9
Correct
On average, your heart beats about once every second. The number of seconds in the lifetime of an average
U.S. resident is
\large{86,400\; \frac{\rm s}{\rm day}\times 365\; \frac{\rm days}{\rm year} \times 75\; \frac{\rm years}{\rm
lifetime}=2.4\times 10^9\;{\rm s}}
assuming a lifetime of 75 years. Of course, we didn't account for leap years since this is just an estimate.
Part D
Legend has it that, many centuries ago, Archimedes jumped out of his bathtub and ran across town naked screaming
"Eureka!" after he solved an especially difficult problem. Though you may not have thought of things this way before,
when you drink a glass of water, the water that you are drinking contains some water molecules that were in
Archimedes' bathwater that day, because water doesn't get created or destroyed on a large scale. It follows the water
cycle, which includes rain, evaporation, flowing of rivers into the ocean, and so on. In the more than two thousand
years since his discovery, the water molecules from Archimedes' bathwater have been through this cycle enough
times that they are probably about evenly distributed throughout all the water on the earth. When you buy a can of
soda, about how many molecules from that famous bathtub of Archimedes are there in that can?
Round the answer to the nearest power of 10 and then express your answer as the order of magnitude. For
instance, if your estimated answer is 3\times10^5, enter 5. If your estimated answer is 8.7\times10^5, you
should enter 6 (rounding up to the next power of 10).
There are about 6.0\times10^{23} \;{\rm molecules} in 18 {\rm g} of water; in other words, 1 {\rm kg} of water
contains about 3.3\times10^{25} \;{\rm molecules}.
Correct
We used the following assumptions: The total mass of water on the earth's surface is 1.4\times10^{21}\;{\rm kg}
(reference information available from many different sources); the mass of the water in the bathtub is guessed
to be 200 {\rm kg}; the mass of the water in the can of soda is estimated to be about 0.33 {\rm kg}; and 1 {\rm
kg} of water contains about 3.3\times10^{25} \;{\rm molecules}.
Thus the total number of molecules in the can is roughly 10^{25}. The fraction of the bathtub molecules in the
can is 200/(1.4\times10^{21}). Therefore, the number of bathtub molecules contained in the can is
\large{\frac{200 \times 10^{25} }{1.4 \times 10^{21}}\approx 1.4 \times 10^6}.
Your answer is most likely different but it should still have the same order of magnitude, equal to 6. In case of
some "wilder" assumptions, we count 5 and 7 as correct too.
Consistency of Units
In physics, every physical quantity is measured with respect to a unit. Time is measured in seconds, length is measured
in meters, and mass is measured in kilograms. Knowing the units of physical quantities will help you solve problems in
physics.
Part A
Gravity causes objects to be attracted to one another. This attraction keeps our feet firmly planted on the ground and
causes the moon to orbit the earth. The force of gravitational attraction is represented by the equation
\large{F = \frac {G m_1 m_2}{r^2}},
where \texttip{F}{F} is the magnitude of the gravitational attraction on either body, \texttip{m_{\rm 1}}{m_1} and
\texttip{m_{\rm 2}}{m_2} are the masses of the bodies, \texttip{r}{r} is the distance between them, and \texttip{G}{G} is
the gravitational constant. In SI units, the units of force are {\rm{kg} \cdot \rm{m}}/{\rm{s^2}}, the units of mass are
\rm{kg}, and the units of distance are \rm{m}. For this equation to have consistent units, the units of \texttip{G}{G}
must be which of the following?
Correct
Part B
One consequence of Einstein's theory of special relativity is that mass is a form of energy. This mass-energy
relationship is perhaps the most famous of all physics equations:
E = mc^2,
where \texttip{m}{m} is mass, \texttip{c}{c} is the speed of the light, and \texttip{E}{E} is the energy. In SI units, the
units of speed are \rm m/\rm s. For the preceding equation to have consistent units (the same units on both sides of
the equation), the units of \texttip{E}{E} must be which of the following?
Correct
To solve the types of problems typified by these examples, we start with the given equation. For each symbol
whose units we know, we replace the symbol with those units. For example, we replace \texttip{m}{m} with
\rm{kg}. We now solve this equation for the units of the unknown variable.
Problem 1.23
The diameter of the Moon is 3480 {\rm km}.
Part A
What is the surface area of the Moon?
ANSWER:
{\rm m^{2}}
Correct
Part B
How many times larger is the surface area of the Earth?
ANSWER:
\large{\frac{A_{\rm Earth}}{A_{\rm Moon}}} = 13.4
Correct
Problem 1.37
Three students derive the following equations in which x refers to distance traveled, v the speed, a the acceleration ({\rm
m/s^{2}}), t the time, and the subscript zero \left( {_0 } \right) means a quantity at time t = 0:
(a)x = vt^2 + 2at,
(b)x = v_0 t + {1 \over 2}at^2,
(c)x = v_0 t + 2at^2.
Part A
Which of these equations could possibly be correct according to a dimensional check?
ANSWER:
Correct
Problem 1.41
Part A
How many seconds are there in 1.00 year?
ANSWER:
t = 3.16107 {\rm s}
Correct
Part B
How many nanoseconds are there in 1.00 year?
ANSWER:
t = 3.161016 {\rm ns}
Correct
Part C
How many years are there in 1.00 second?
ANSWER:
t = 3.17108 {\rm y}
Correct
Problem 1.51
A certain audio compact disc (CD) contains 783.216 megabytes of digital information. Each byte consists of exactly 8 bits.
When played, a CD player reads the CD's digital information at a constant rate of 1.4 megabits per second.
Part A
How many minutes does it take the player to read the entire CD?
Express your answer using two significant figures.
ANSWER:
t = 75 {\rm min}
Correct
Problem 1.66
The density of an object is defined as its mass divided by its volume. Suppose the mass and volume of a rock are
measured to be 8 {\rm g} and 2.8325 {\rm cm^3}.
Part A
What is the correct number of significant figures for the rock's density?
Express your answer using one significant figure.
ANSWER:
n = 1 figures
Correct
Part B
{\rm g/cm^{3}}
Correct
Part A
If the clothing maker bought 500 {\rm m^2} of this fabric, how much money did he lose? Use 1\; {\rm tepiz}= 0.625\;
{\rm dollar} and 0.9144\;{\rm m} = 1\;{\rm yard}.
Express your answer in dollars using two significant figures.
\rm tepizes
ANSWER:
1.25105
\rm dollars
\rm {yard}^2
ANSWER:
7.18104
\rm dollars
ANSWER:
5.3104
\rm dollars
Correct
Part B
Find the value of 15.0 {\rm N} in pounds. Use the conversions 1\;{\rm slug}=14.59\;{\rm kg} and 1\;{\rm ft}=0.3048\;
{\rm m}.
Express your answer in pounds to three significant figures.
ANSWER:
15.0 {\rm N} = 3.37
\rm lb
Correct
Thus, if the NASA navigators believed that they were entering a force value of 15 \rm N (3.37 \rm lb), they were
actually entering a value nearly four and a half times higher, 15 \rm lb. Though these errors were only in tiny
course corrections, they added up during the trip of many millions of kilometers.
In the end, the blame for the loss of the 125-million-dollar probe was placed on the lack of communication
between people at NASA that allowed the units mismatch to go unnoticed. Nonetheless, this story makes
apparent how important it is to carefully label the units used to measure a number.
Problem 1.9
For small angles \theta, the numerical value of {\sin(\theta)} is approximately the same as the numerical value of {\tan
(\theta)}.
Part A
Find the largest angle for which sine and tangent agree to within two significant figures.
Express your answer using two significant figures.
ANSWER:
Correct
Significant Figures
Part A
To seven significant figures, the mass of a proton is 1.672623 \times 10^{-27} \;\rm{kg}. Which of the following
choices demonstrates correct rounding?
Check all that apply.
ANSWER:
1.672\times 10^{-27} \;\rm {kg}
1.67\times 10^{-27} \;\rm {kg}
1.67263\times 10^{-27} \;\rm {kg}
Correct
The number 1.672 \times 10^{-27} is incorrect because when we round to four significant figures we get 1.673,
not 1.672. Similarly, 1.67263 \times 10^{-27} is incorrect because when we round to six significant figures we get
1.67262, not 1.67263.
Part B
To eight significant figures, Avogadro's constant is 6.0221367 \times 10^{23} \;\rm {mol^{-1}}. Which of the following
choices demonstrates correct rounding?
Check all that apply.
ANSWER:
6.022 \times 10^{23} \;\rm {mol^{-1}}
6.0 \times 10^{23} \;\rm {mol^{-1}}
6.02214 \times 10^{23} \;\rm {mol^{-1}}
Correct
All these options are correct; they represent different levels of precision, even though the numerical value is the
same.
number presented in statement B. Be sure to follow all of the rules concerning significant figures.
Part A
Statement A: 2.567 {\rm km}, to two significant figures.
Statement B: 2.567 {\rm km}, to three significant figures.
Determine the correct relationship between the statements.
\Longrightarrow 3.454
\Longrightarrow 3.5
\Longrightarrow 3
Notice that, when rounding 3.4536 to one significant figure, since 0.4536 is less than 0.5, the result is 3, even
though if you first rounded to two significant figures (3.5), the result would be 4.
ANSWER:
greater than
Statement A is
less than
Statement B.
equal to
Correct
Part B
Statement A: (2.567 \rm km + 3.146 \rm km), to two significant figures.
Statement B: (2.567 \rm km, to two significant figures) + (3.146 \rm km, to two significant figures).
Determine the correct relationship between the statements.
ANSWER:
greater than
Statement A is
less than
equal to
Statement B.
Correct
Evaluate statement A as follows: (2.567 \rm km + 3.146 \rm km ) = 5.713 \rm km to two significant figures is
5.7 \rm km . Statement B evaluates as 2.6 \rm km + 3.1 \rm km = 5.7 \rm km . Therefore, the two statements are
equal.
Part C
Statement A: Area of a rectangle with measured length = 2.536 {\rm m} and width = 1.4 {\rm m}.
Statement B: Area of a rectangle with measured length = 2.536 {\rm m} and width = 1.41 {\rm m}.
Since you are not told specific numbers of significant figures to round to, you must use the rules for multiplying
numbers while respecting significant figures. If you need a reminder, consult the hint.
Determine the correct relationship between the statements.
less than
Statement B.
equal to
Correct
Evaluate statement A as follows: (2.536 \rm m ) (1.4 \rm m ) = 3.5504 \rm m^2 to two significant figures is
3.6 \rm m^2 . Statement B evaluates as (2.536 \rm m ) (1.41 \rm m ) = 3.57576 \rm m^2 to three significant
figures is 3.58 \rm m^2 . Therefore, statement A is greater than statement B.
Score Summary:
Your score on this assignment is 99.3%.
You received 12.91 out of a possible total of 13 points.