Part I: Getting Cozy with Numbers, Atoms, and Elements

Q. A physicist measures the density of a

substance to be 20 kg/m3. His chemist
colleague, appalled with the excessively
large units, decides to change the units
of the measurement to the more familiar
g/cm3. What is the new expression of the
density?
A. 0.002 g/cm . A kilogram contains 1,000
3

grams, so 20 kilograms equals 20,000

grams. Well, 100 cm = 1m, therefore
(100 cm)3 = (1m)3. In other words, there
are 1003 (or 106) cubic centimeters in
1 cubic meter. Doing the division gives
you 0.002 g/cm3.
3. The Pascal, a unit of pressure, is equivalent to
1 Newton per square meter. If the Newton, a
unit of force, is equal to 1 kilogram meter per
second squared, what’s the Pascal, expressed
entirely in basic units?
Solve It
4. A student measures the length, width,
and height of a sample to be 10 mm,
15 mm, and 5 mm respectively. If the
sample has a mass of 0.9 Dg, what is
the sample’s density in g/mL?
Solve It

Converting between Units: The Conversion

Factor
So what happens when chemist Reginald Q. Geekmajor neglects his SI units and measures
the boiling point of his sample to be 101 degrees Fahrenheit, or the volume of his beaker to
be 2 cups? Although Dr. Geekmajor should surely have known better, he can still save himself
the embarrassment of reporting such dirty, unscientific numbers to his colleagues: He can
use conversion factors.
A conversion factor simply uses your knowledge of the relationships between units to convert
from one unit to another. For example, if you know that there are 2.54 centimeters in
every inch (or 2.2 pounds in every kilogram, or 101.3 kilopascals in every atmosphere), then
converting between those units becomes simple algebra. Peruse Table 2-3 for some useful
conversion factors. And remember: If you know the relationship between any two units, you
can build your own conversion factor to move between those units.
Table 2-3 Conversion Factors
Unit Equivalent to Conversion Factors
Lengths
Meter 3.3 feet
3.3 ft
1m
or 1m
3.3 ft