General, Organic, and

Biological Chemistry
Fourth Edition
Karen Timberlake

1.9
Problem Solving
Chapter 1
Chemistry and
Measurements
2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
Lectures
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 2
There are 4 steps to solving problems with conversion
factors.
Guide to Problem Solving Using
Conversion Factors
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 3
If a person weighs 164 lb, what is the body mass in
kilograms?

Step 1 State the given and needed quantities.
Analyze the Problem



Step 2 Write a plan to convert the given unit to the
needed unit.

lb USMetric kilograms
Factor
Steps to Solving the Problem
Given Need
164 lb kilograms
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 4
If a person weighs 164 lb, what is the body mass in
kilograms?

Step 3 State the equalities and conversion
factors.



Step 4 Set up the problem to cancel units and
calculate the answer.
Steps to Solving the Problem
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 5
Learning Check
How many minutes are 2.5 h?

2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 6
Solution
How many minutes are 2.5 h?
Step 1 State the given and needed quantities.
Analyze the Problem.



Step 2 Write a plan to convert the given unit to the
needed unit.

Given Need
2.5 h minutes
hour minutes
time
factor
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 7
Solution
How many minutes are 2.5 h?
Step 3 State the equalities and conversion factors.



Step 4 Set up problem to cancel units and
calculate answer.

2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 8
A rattlesnake is 2.44 m long. How many centimeters
long is the snake?

A. 2440 cm
B. 244 cm
C. 24.4 cm

Learning Check
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 9
A rattlesnake is 2.44 m long. How many centimeters
long is the snake?
Step 1 Analyze the Problem.



Step 2 Write a plan to convert the given unit to
the needed unit.
meters metric centimeters
conversion

Solution
Given Need
2.44 m centimeters
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 10
A rattlesnake is 2.44 m long. How many centimeters
long is the snake?

Step 3 State the equalities and conversion
factors.



Step 4 Set up the problem to cancel units and
calculate the answer.


Solution
3 SF 3 SF Exact
Answer: B
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 11

Often, two or more conversion factors are required to
obtain the unit needed for the answer.

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3

Additional conversion factors are placed in the setup
to cancel each preceding unit.


Using Two or More Factors
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 12

How many minutes are in 1.6 days?
Step 1 State the given and needed quantities.
Analyze the Problem.



Step 2 Write a plan to convert the given unit to the
needed unit.
days time time min
factor 1 factor 2

Example: Problem Solving
Given Need
1.6 days minutes
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 13

How many minutes are in 1.6 days?
Step 3 State the equalities and conversion factors.




Step 4 Set up problem to cancel units and
calculate answer.




Example: Problem Solving
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 14
Learning Check
An injured person loses 0.300 pints of blood. How
many milliliters of blood would that be?

2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 15
Solution
An injured person loses 0.300 pints of blood. How
many milliliters of blood would that be?
Step 1 State the given and needed quantities.
Analyze the Problem.



Step 2 Write a plan to convert the given unit to
the needed unit.

pints factor 1 factor 2 milliliters




Given Need
0.300 pints milliliters
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1, Section 9 16
Solution
An injured person loses 0.300 pints of blood. How
many milliliters of blood would that be?

Step 3 State the equalities and conversion
factors.


Step 4 Set up problem to cancel units and
calculate answer.