Chapter 1, Problem 1.46E

In Section 1.3 the statement is made that it is worthwhile for scientists, auto mechanics, doctors, politicians, and poets to take a scientific approach to their professions. Discuss how each of these people could use a scientific approach in his or her profession.

Write the following measurements, without scientific notation, using the appropriate SI prefix. a 4.851 106 g b 3.16 102 m c 2.591 109 s d 8.93 1012 g

An aquarium has a rectangular cross section that is 47.8 in. by 12.5 in.; it is 19.5 in. high. How many U.S gallons does the aquarium contain? One U.S. gallon equals exactly 231 in3.

For these questions, be sure to apply the rules for significant figures. a You are conducting an experiment where you need the volume of a box; you take the length, height, and width measurements and then multiply the values together to find the volume. You report the volume of the box as 0.310 m1. If two of your measurements were 0.7120 m and 0.52145 m, what was the other measurement? b If you were to add the two measurements from the first part of the problem to a third length measurement with the reported result of 1.509 m, what was the value of the third measurement?

The longest river in the world is the Nile River with a length of 4145 mi. How long is the Nile in cable lengths, meters, and nautical miles? Use these exact conversions to help solve the problem: 6 ft = 1 fathom 100 fathoms = 1 cable length 10 cable lengths = 1 nautical mile 3 nautical miles = 1 league

Although the preferred SI unit of area is the square meter, land is often measured in the metric system in hectares (ha). One hectare is equal to 10,000 m2. In the English system, land is often measured in acres (1 acre = 160 rod2). Use the exact conversions and those given in Exercise 47 to calculate the following. a. 1 ha = __________ km2 b. The area of a 5.5-acre plot of land in hectares, square meters, and square kilometers c. A lot with dimensions 120 ft by 75 ft is to be sold for 6500. What is the price per acre? What is the price per hectare?

Consider multiplying “26.2” by “16.43.” What would a mathematician say the answer is? What would a scientist say? Justify the scientist’s answer, not merely citing the rule, hut explaining it.

You are presented with a piece of metal in a jar. It is your job to determine what the metal is. What are some physical properties that you could measure in order to determine the type of metal? You suspect that the metal might be sodium; what are some chemical properties that you could investigate? (See Section 1.4 for some ideas.)

The beakers shown below have different precisions. a. Label the amount of water in each of the three beakers to the correct number of significant figures. b. Is it possible for each of the three beakers to contain the exact same amount of water? If no, why not? If yes, did you report the volumes as the same in part a? Explain. c. Suppose you pour the water from these three beakers into one container. What should be the volume in the container reported to the correct number of significant figures?