Question

Salinity is the percentage of salt in a sample of water. It is measured in parts per thousand, or ppt. Calculate the salinity of the Great Salt Lake. The saltwater sample contains salt with a mass of 146.3 grams and water with a mass of 520.4 grams. Use the formula to calculate the salinity.





(1 point)
Responses

28 ppt
28 ppt

2.8 ppt
2.8 ppt

0.28 ppt
0.28 ppt

280 ppt

Answer 1

To calculate the salinity in parts per thousand (ppt), you can use the formula:

\[
\text{Salinity (ppt)} = \left(\frac{\text{mass of salt (g)}}{\text{mass of salt (g)} + \text{mass of water (g)}}\right) \times 1000
\]

In this case, you have:

- Mass of salt = 146.3 g
- Mass of water = 520.4 g

Now plug the values into the formula:

\[
\text{Salinity (ppt)} = \left(\frac{146.3}{146.3 + 520.4}\right) \times 1000
\]

First, calculate the total mass of the sample:

\[
146.3 + 520.4 = 666.7 \text{ g}
\]

Now, calculate the salinity:

\[
\text{Salinity (ppt)} = \left(\frac{146.3}{666.7}\right) \times 1000 \approx 219.4 \text{ ppt}
\]

However, looking at the answer choices provided:

- 28 ppt
- 2.8 ppt
- 0.28 ppt
- 280 ppt

The closest answer to 219.4 ppt is not listed, but "280 ppt" is the nearest option. Since there might be an interpretation or rounding discrepancy in the choices, the answer would be:

**280 ppt**.