Question
An ambulance has a mass of 5.44 x 10° ounces.
Which unit of measurement is most appropriate to measure this mass?
milligrams
kilograms
ounce
tons
Which unit of measurement is most appropriate to measure this mass?
milligrams
kilograms
ounce
tons
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine the most appropriate unit of measurement for the mass of the ambulance, we need to convert the mass from ounces to other units and consider typical weights for ambulances.
1 ounce is approximately equal to 28.35 grams.
Given that the ambulance has a mass of \( 5.44 \times 10^6 \) ounces, we can calculate its mass in grams:
\[
5.44 \times 10^6 \text{ ounces} \times 28.35 \text{ grams/ounce} \approx 1.54 \times 10^8 \text{ grams}
\]
Now let's convert grams to kilograms:
\[
1.54 \times 10^8 \text{ grams} \div 1000 \text{ grams/kilogram} = 1.54 \times 10^5 \text{ kilograms}
\]
Next, let's convert grams to tons (1 ton is approximately 907,185 grams):
\[
1.54 \times 10^8 \text{ grams} \div 907,185 \text{ grams/ton} \approx 170.78 \text{ tons}
\]
Considering the typical weight of an ambulance, which usually ranges from about 5,000 to 10,000 pounds (or approximately 2,267 to 4,536 kilograms), we can see that the weight is substantial.
Now let's look at the provided options:
- **milligrams**: Would be too small of a unit for this mass.
- **kilograms**: A reasonable unit given the ambulance's large mass.
- **ounce**: The original measure, but not practical for such a large number.
- **tons**: Also applicable to such large masses.
Between kilograms and tons, either could work, but kilograms are more commonly used in most contexts, particularly in countries using the metric system.
Therefore, the most appropriate unit of measurement for the mass of the ambulance is **kilograms**.
1 ounce is approximately equal to 28.35 grams.
Given that the ambulance has a mass of \( 5.44 \times 10^6 \) ounces, we can calculate its mass in grams:
\[
5.44 \times 10^6 \text{ ounces} \times 28.35 \text{ grams/ounce} \approx 1.54 \times 10^8 \text{ grams}
\]
Now let's convert grams to kilograms:
\[
1.54 \times 10^8 \text{ grams} \div 1000 \text{ grams/kilogram} = 1.54 \times 10^5 \text{ kilograms}
\]
Next, let's convert grams to tons (1 ton is approximately 907,185 grams):
\[
1.54 \times 10^8 \text{ grams} \div 907,185 \text{ grams/ton} \approx 170.78 \text{ tons}
\]
Considering the typical weight of an ambulance, which usually ranges from about 5,000 to 10,000 pounds (or approximately 2,267 to 4,536 kilograms), we can see that the weight is substantial.
Now let's look at the provided options:
- **milligrams**: Would be too small of a unit for this mass.
- **kilograms**: A reasonable unit given the ambulance's large mass.
- **ounce**: The original measure, but not practical for such a large number.
- **tons**: Also applicable to such large masses.
Between kilograms and tons, either could work, but kilograms are more commonly used in most contexts, particularly in countries using the metric system.
Therefore, the most appropriate unit of measurement for the mass of the ambulance is **kilograms**.