Question

An individual suffering from a high cholesterol level in her blood has 244 mg of cholesterol per 100 ml of blood, if the total blood volume of the individual is 6.1 L, how many grams of total blood cholesterol
does the individuars body contain?|
Express the mass in grams to two significant digits.

Answer 1

To calculate the total mass of cholesterol in grams, we first need to determine how many milliliters of blood the individual has and then use the concentration of cholesterol to find the total mass.

1. **Convert blood volume from liters to milliliters.**
\[
6.1 \, \text{L} = 6.1 \times 1000 \, \text{ml} = 6100 \, \text{ml}
\]

2. **Calculate the total cholesterol in milligrams.**
The individual has 244 mg of cholesterol per 100 ml of blood:
\[
\text{Cholesterol in mg} = \left(\frac{244 \, \text{mg}}{100 \, \text{ml}}\right) \times 6100 \, \text{ml} = 244 \times 61 = 14884 \, \text{mg}
\]

3. **Convert the mass from milligrams to grams.**
\[
\text{Cholesterol in grams} = \frac{14884 \, \text{mg}}{1000} = 14.884 \, \text{grams}
\]

4. **Round to two significant digits.**
\[
14.884 \, \text{grams} \approx 15 \, \text{grams}
\]

Therefore, the total mass of cholesterol in the individual's body is **15 grams** (to two significant digits).