Practice: A patient has approximately 83 mL of blood pumping by their heart at each beat. By assuming they have a pulse of 75 beats per minute it is calculated that the patient pumps 8.964 x 106 mL in one day. Identify the given amount and all conversion factors.
Conversion Factors are used to tie together 2 different units.
Conversion Factors & Given Amounts
Concept #1: Conversion factors and given amounts are the initial concepts needed to later understand dimensional analysis.
The given amount contains one unit type and the conversion factor connects two different units together.
Example #1: Clutch’s “Ugly but Good” chocolate chip cookie recipe is always a hit at our office parties. My budget is $80. The recipe makes 18 servings for the party. Each serving requires 8 chocolate truffle chips at a cost of $0.50 per 5 chocolate truffle chips. From the information provided, determine the given amount and all conversion factors.
Concept #2: Common Conversion Factors
Example #2: While packing for a trip to Spain a traveler wishes to weigh their luggage to make sure it doesn’t exceed 23 kilograms. Unfortunately their bathroom scale for some reason can only weigh in ounces. What conversion factors could they use to determine the mass of their luggage?
Practice: For 7 hours, an intravenous bag delivers medication to a patient at a rate of 2.75 drops a second with a mass of 42 mg per drop. Identify the given amount and all conversion factors.
Practice: The dispensing of prescription drugs are usually prescribed in units of mg per kg of body weight. A new prescription drug has a recommended dosage of 11 mg/kg. A 75 lb child requires three tablets each weighing 125 mg for their recommended dosage. Identify the given amount and all conversion factors.
