Chemistry Student Edition - Basic

Answer Key

Chapter 3: Measurement

Units of Measurement

Questions

1. Convert the following numbers to scientific notation.

a. 13,000,000
b. 4020.0
c. 0.00040
d. 0.0004002
2. Convert the following using conversion factors given in the table of Commonly Used SI
Prefixes.
a. 126 kg to grams
b. 826 mL to L
c. 2.45 × 10-12 g to nanograms
d. 1.24 × 10-12 meters to picometers
3. Perform the following calculations, and write your final answer in scientific notation.
a. 1.06 × 103 kilograms + 8.6 × 1013 nanograms
b. 100.06 mL + 35 L
c. 3.56 × 105 cm + 1.23 × 102 m
4. Which SI unit and prefixes would be used to report the following
a. A person’s weight
b. The length of a ladybug
c. The volume of a large lake
d. The weight of a human hair
e. The width of a human hair
5. Calculate the number of seconds in the month of December.
6. How many donuts can you buy with $23.00 if they cost $3.00/dozen?
7. A light year is the distance light travels in one year. Sirius (the dog star), the brightest in the
sky, is approximately 8.6 light years from Earth. How far (in km) from Earth is it if light
travels 3.0 × 108 m/s?

Answers

1.
a. 1.3 * 107
b. 4.020*103
c. 4.0 * 10-4
d. 4.002 * 10-4
2.
a. 126,000 grams
b. 0.826 L
c. 0.00245 nanograms
d. 1.24 picometers
3.
a. 1.146*103 kilograms
b. 3.510006 * 104 mL
c. 3.683 * 103 m
4.
a. Kilograms (kg)
b. Millimeters (mm) or centimeters(cm)
c. Liters (L)
d. Micrograms (μg)
e. Micrometers (μm)
5. December has 31 days, each of which has 24 hours. Each hour contains 60 minutes, and
each minute contains 60 seconds. Hence
Seconds in December = (31 days)(24 hours/day)(60 minutes/hour)(60 seconds/minute) =
2.6784*106 seconds
6. ($23) (1 dozen/ $3) (12 donuts/dozen) = 92 donuts
7. (8.6 light years)(365.25 days/year)(24 hours/days)(60 minutes/hour)(60 seconds/minute)
(3.0 *108 m/s)(1 km/1000 m) = 9.46 *1012 km

Unit Conversions, Error, and Uncertainty

Questions

1.
If the length in the Figure above were estimated to be 11.65 cm ± 0.05, what would be the
range of values that fall within the acceptable uncertainty for this instrument?
2. Which of the following length estimates would be accurate for the Figure above?
a. 11.59
b. 11.71
c. 11.64
d. 12
3. Which of the following length estimates would be precise for the Figure above?
a. 11.64, 11.65, 11.65
b. 11.60. 11.56, 11.45
c. 10.9, 12.2, 12
d. 11, 11.23, 11.234
4. A student measures the density of gold and finds it to be 18.3 g/mL. The accepted value
from the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is 19.3 g/mL (Lide 1992-1993). What is the
percent error of the student’s results?
5. How would you report 40.889 m3 to three significant figures using scientific notation?
6. Complete the Table below.
 °F °C K
A 57
B 37
C -40

7. What is the average mass of three objects whose individual masses are 10.3 g, 9.334 g,
and 9.25 g?
8. Complete the following calculation and report the answer with the correct number of
significant figures: (1.68)(7.874)(1.0000/55.85).
9. Solve the following equation for n and report the answer with the correct number of
significant figures: (11.2/760.0)(123.4) = n(0.0821)(298.3)

Answers

1. 11.60 cm to 11.70 cm
2. A
3. A
4. The percent error is |Measured-Accepted|/Accepted =
|18.3-19.3|/19.3 = 5.2%
5. 4.09*101 m3
6. Complete the Table below.

°F °C K
A 57 14 290
B 98.6 37 310
C -40 -40 230

7. (10.3 + 9.334 + 9.25) /3 = 28.9 g

8. 0.237 (3 significant figures)
9. 0.0743