Question

he mass of a single grain of table salt is approximately 5.8 x 10 -4^
gram. The mass of a single grain of sugar is approximately 6.5 x 10 -4^
gram. Which statement describes how many times larger the mass of a single grain of sugar is compared to the mass of a single grain of table salt?

The mass of a grain of sugar measures approximately 1.5 times that of a grain of salt.
The mass of a grain of sugar measures approximately 1.15 times that of a grain of salt.
The mass of a grain of sugar measures approximately 1.12 times that of a grain of salt.
The mass of a grain of sugar measures approximately 1.25 times that of a grain of salt.

Answer 1

To determine how many times larger the mass of a single grain of sugar is compared to the mass of a single grain of table salt, we can divide the mass of the sugar by the mass of the salt.

Given:
- Mass of a single grain of table salt = \( 5.8 \times 10^{-4} \) grams
- Mass of a single grain of sugar = \( 6.5 \times 10^{-4} \) grams

Now, we can calculate the ratio:

\[
\text{Ratio} = \frac{\text{Mass of sugar}}{\text{Mass of salt}} = \frac{6.5 \times 10^{-4}}{5.8 \times 10^{-4}}
\]

Since both masses are in the same unit (grams), the \( 10^{-4} \) cancels out:

\[
\text{Ratio} = \frac{6.5}{5.8}
\]

Now we can calculate that:

\[
\text{Ratio} \approx 1.12
\]

So, the mass of a grain of sugar measures approximately 1.12 times that of a grain of salt.

Therefore, the correct statement is:

**The mass of a grain of sugar measures approximately 1.12 times that of a grain of salt.**