General Chemistry Assignment #1

1.) What is the difference between qualitative data and quantitative data?
2.) Classify the following as qualitative or quantitative statements, giving your reasons.
(a) The sun is approximately 93 million mi from Earth.
(b) Leonardo da Vinci was a better painter than Michelangelo.
(c) Ice is less dense than water.
(d) Butter tastes better than margarine.
(e) A stitch in time saves nine.

3.) Express the answers to the following calculations in scientific notation:

(a) 145.75 + (2.3 x 10-1)
(b) 79,500 ÷ (2.5 x 102)
(c) (7.0 x 10-3) - (8.0 x 10-4)
(d) (1.0 x 104) x (9.9 x 106)
(e) 0.0095 + (8.5 x 10-3)
(f) 653 ÷ (5.75 x 10-8)
(g) 850,000 - (9.0 x 105)
(h) (3.6 x 10-4) x (3.6 x 106)
(i) (3 x 104 g + 6.827 g)/(0.043 cm3 - 0.021 cm3)
(j) 4.51 cm x 3.6666 cm

4.) In determining the density of a rectangular metal bar, a student made the following
measurements: length, 8.53 cm; width, 2.4 cm; height, 1.0 cm; mass, 52.7064 g. Calculate the
density of the metal to the correct number of significant figures.
5.) Suppose that a new temperature scale has been devised on which the melting point of ethanol (-
117.3°C) and the boiling point of ethanol (78.3°C) are taken as 0°S and 100°S, respectively, where
S is the symbol for the new temperature scale. Derive an equation relating a reading on this scale
to a reading on the Celsius scale. What would this thermometer read at 25°C?
6.) A resting adult requires about 240 mL of pure oxygen/min and breathes about 12 times every
minute.
(a) If inhaled air contains 20 percent oxygen by volume and exhaled air 16 percent, what is the
volume of air per breath? (Assume that the volume of inhaled air is equal to that of exhaled
air.)
(b) Calculate the total volume (in liters) of air an adult breathes in a day.
(c) In a city with heavy traffic, the air contains 2.1 x 10 -6 L of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas)
per liter. Calculate the average daily intake of carbon monoxide in liters by a person.

7.) A human brain weighs about 1 kg and contains about 10 11 cells. Assuming that each cell is
completely filled with water (density = 1 g/mL), calculate the length of one side of such a cell if it
were a cube. If the cells are spread out in a thin layer that is a single cell thick, what is the
surface area in square meters?