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Rates, unit conversions and the unitary method for HSC Maths Standard 2

Syllabus dot point

“Use rates and unit conversions to solve practical problems including fuel consumption, dosage, power consumption and energy efficiency”

HSCMaths Standard 2Year 12: Measurement12 min read

Quick answer

A rate is a quantity per single unit; carry the units as algebra so the unwanted unit cancels, use the unitary method (down to one, then up to many) to scale, square or cube the factor when converting area or volume units, and sanity-check answers against the real world.

Jump to a section
  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. The answer
  3. Exam-style questions
  4. Practice questions

What this dot point is asking

NESA wants you to compute rates, use the unitary method to solve worded rate problems, convert between metric units, and apply rates to everyday Australian contexts including fuel consumption, energy use and medication dosages.

The skill being tested is not really the arithmetic; it is the care you take with units. Most rate questions are one or two multiplications. Marks are lost by multiplying when you should divide, by leaving the time in minutes when the rate is per hour, or by forgetting that area and volume conversions need a squared or cubed factor. Write the units on every line and set up each step so the unwanted unit cancels. Do that and a wordy problem turns into one confident calculation.

The answer

What a rate is

A rate compares two quantities with different units, expressed per single unit of the denominator.

  • 8080 km/h: a speed.
  • 8.58.5 L per 100100 km: fuel consumption.
  • $1.92/L: unit cost.
  • 400400 mg per kg per day: a dosage rate.

A rate is a fraction with units on both the top and the bottom, and that fraction drives every calculation here. The units of the rate tell you what to do with it. For example, litres per kilometre, Lkm\frac{\text{L}}{\text{km}}, multiplied by a distance in kilometres leaves litres, because the kilometres cancel.

The unitary method

To solve "if aa produces bb, how much does cc produce", scale by the ratio ca\frac{c}{a}:

answer=b×ca.\text{answer} = b \times \frac{c}{a}.

A safer way under exam pressure is to find the value for 11 unit first, then multiply by cc. This two-step pattern (down to one, then up to many) works for almost every rate question: fuel, wages, recipe scaling, currency. So when a problem says "if so much gives so much, how much does this much give", find the value for one unit first.

Example: if 55 kg of meat costs $84, then 11 kg costs 845=16.80\frac{84}{5} = 16.80, i.e. $16.80, and 88 kg costs 16.80×8=134.4016.80 \times 8 = 134.40, i.e. $134.40.

Treating units as algebra: the cancellation chain

The reliable way through every rate problem is to carry the units along with the numbers and cancel them like the letters in algebra (a "symbol" you cancel from top and bottom). Set up each calculation so the unwanted units cancel and the unit you want is left. This turns a wordy problem into a single line of arithmetic. It also shows up at once if you have multiplied when you should have divided.

A unit-cancellation chain for a fuel-cost calculationA chain of three quantities. Distance 580 km times the rate 4.8 over 100 litres per km cancels kilometres to give 27.84 litres. Multiplying by the price 1.98 dollars per litre cancels litres to give the cost 55.12 dollars.580 kmdistance27.84 Lfuel used$55.12cost× 4.8/100 L/kmkm cancels → L× $1.98/LL cancels → $Carry the units: set up each step so the unwanted unit cancels.580 km × (4.8/100 L/km) = 27.84 L; 27.84 L × $1.98/L = $55.12.

Read the chain left to right. A distance in kilometres times a rate in litres per kilometre gives litres (kilometres cancel); litres times a price in dollars per litre gives dollars (litres cancel). At no point do you have to guess whether to multiply or divide: you choose the operation that cancels the unit you want gone.

Metric conversions

From To Multiply by
km m 10001000
m cm 100100
cm mm 1010
kg g 10001000
L mL 10001000
h min 6060
min s 6060

Going from a larger unit to a smaller one, you multiply and the number gets bigger; going from smaller to larger, you divide and it gets smaller. The metric staircase below is the picture: step down towards smaller units and multiply, step up towards larger units and divide.

The metric conversion staircaseA staircase of length units from kilometres down to millimetres. Going down towards smaller units you multiply (by 1000 from km to m, then by 10 each step m to cm to mm); going up towards larger units you divide.kmmcmmm×1000×10×10÷÷÷smaller unit → multiplylarger unit ← divideFor area, square the factor; for volume, cube it.

Squared and cubed conversion factors

The trap that catches the most students is converting area and volume units. Length conversions use the plain factor. Area uses that factor squared and volume uses it cubed. This is because area is length times length, and volume is length times length times length. So 11 metre is 100100 centimetres, but 11 square metre is 1002=10000100^2 = 10000 square centimetres, and 11 cubic metre is 1003=1 000 000100^3 = 1\,000\,000 cubic centimetres (equivalently 10001000 litres). Whenever a question involves m2\text{m}^2 or m3\text{m}^3, stop and square or cube the conversion factor before you use it.

Fuel consumption

Standard Australian unit: litres per 100100 km. Smaller is better, and a hybrid or efficient small car sits around 44 to 66 L per 100100 km while a large SUV may be 1010 or more.

To find fuel used for a trip of dd km at consumption cc L per 100100 km:

fuel=c100×d.\text{fuel} = \frac{c}{100} \times d.

Then cost is fuel times price per litre. The two multiplications are exactly the cancellation chain shown above.

Energy use (kWh)

Household electricity is billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh is the energy used by a 10001000 watt appliance running for 11 hour.

For an appliance rated PP watts running tt hours:

E=P×t1000 kWh.E = \frac{P \times t}{1000} \text{ kWh}.

Cost is energy times price per kWh. The division by 10001000 converts watts to kilowatts; if the appliance is already rated in kilowatts, skip it and just multiply kW by hours.

Dosage calculations

For weight-based dosing: total dose = (mg per kg) ×\times patient weight (kg). The number of tablets or doses is the total dose divided by the strength per tablet.

Always check the answer against the real world. If a patient ends up taking 100100 tablets a day, you have almost certainly made a unit error. Common slips are reading a microgram (a thousandth of a milligram) as a milligram, or reading a "once per dose" rate as a "once per day" rate. In the exam, work the maths as stated, but add a one-line note if the result is clearly impossible. Markers reward both the correct working and the fact that you noticed.

Key fact

A rate is a quantity per single unit of something else; treat its units as algebra and set up each step so the unwanted unit cancels, leaving the unit you want. Length conversions use the plain factor, area the factor squared, volume the factor cubed. Larger unit to smaller unit: multiply (number grows); smaller to larger: divide (number shrinks).

How exam questions ask about this dot point

  • "... uses fuel at cc L per 100100 km ... cost of a trip of dd km." Fuel =c100×d= \frac{c}{100} \times d, then cost == fuel ×\times price per litre.
  • "An appliance rated PP W (or kW) runs for tt hours ... cost." Energy =P×t1000= \frac{P \times t}{1000} kWh (or kW ×\times hours), then ×\times price per kWh.
  • "A patient weighing ... is prescribed ... mg per kg ... how many tablets / mL?" Total dose == rate ×\times weight, then ÷\div strength per tablet (or dose).
  • "Which is better value?" Reduce both options to a common per-unit cost (cost per 100100 g, per litre) and compare.
  • "Convert ... to ... / express ... in ..." A pure unit conversion: multiply or divide by the factor, and square or cube it for area or volume.
  • "A car travels at ... km/h for ... minutes." Convert the time to hours first (the rate is per hour), then multiply.
Worked example

Fuel cost for a round trip

A Toyota Camry hybrid uses 4.84.8 L per 100100 km. The driver does the Sydney-to-Canberra round trip (580580 km). Petrol is $1.98/L. Find the fuel cost.

Calculate the fuel used: The consumption rate is 4.84.8 L per 100100 km, so for every kilometre the car uses 4.8100\frac{4.8}{100} L. Multiply by the total distance, and the kilometres cancel to leave litres:

fuel=4.8100×580=27.84 L\text{fuel} = \frac{4.8}{100} \times 580 = 27.84 \text{ L}

Multiply fuel by price per litre: Litres times dollars-per-litre leaves dollars:

cost=27.84 L×1.98 dollars/L≈55.12 dollars\text{cost} = 27.84 \text{ L} \times 1.98 \text{ dollars/L} \approx 55.12 \text{ dollars}

Answer: the fuel cost for the round trip is approximately $55.12.

Running cost of an air-conditioner

A 2.52.5 kW air-conditioner runs 66 hours a day. Electricity costs $0.32/kWh (typical NSW residential rate, 2025). Find the daily and seasonal cost.

Find the energy used: The appliance is already in kilowatts, so energy is just kilowatts times hours:

E=2.5×6=15 kWh per dayE = 2.5 \times 6 = 15 \text{ kWh per day}

Find the daily and seasonal cost:

cost per day=15×0.32=4.80 dollars\text{cost per day} = 15 \times 0.32 = 4.80 \text{ dollars}

Over a 9090-day summer season:

4.80×90=432 dollars4.80 \times 90 = 432 \text{ dollars}

Answer: running the air-conditioner 66 hours daily costs $4.80 per day, or $432 over a 9090-day summer.

Distance from speed and time

A train travels at 130130 km/h for 4545 minutes. How far does it travel?

Convert the time to hours: The speed is in kilometres per hour, so the time must be in hours before multiplying:

45 min=4560=0.75 h45 \text{ min} = \frac{45}{60} = 0.75 \text{ h}

Multiply speed by time:

distance=130 km/h×0.75 h=97.5 km\text{distance} = 130 \text{ km/h} \times 0.75 \text{ h} = 97.5 \text{ km}

If a question instead wanted the speed in metres per second, multiply by 1000 m3600 s\frac{1000 \text{ m}}{3600 \text{ s}} so the original units cancel: 130×10003600≈36.1130 \times \frac{1000}{3600} \approx 36.1 m/s.

Answer: the train travels 97.597.5 km in 4545 minutes.

Which jar is better value

A 375375 g jar of Vegemite costs $8.50. A 560560 g jar costs $12.40. Which is better value?

Reduce to a common unit cost: Reduce both to a common basis, the cost per 100100 g:

small:8.50375×100≈2.27 dollars per 100 g\text{small}: \frac{8.50}{375} \times 100 \approx 2.27 \text{ dollars per } 100 \text{ g}

large:12.40560×100≈2.21 dollars per 100 g\text{large}: \frac{12.40}{560} \times 100 \approx 2.21 \text{ dollars per } 100 \text{ g}

Compare and conclude: The large jar costs about 66 cents less per 100100 g.

Answer: the larger jar is slightly better value at about $2.21 per 100100 g, compared with $2.27 per 100100 g for the smaller jar.

Weight-based dosage with a sanity check

A child weighing 2020 kg is prescribed paracetamol at 1515 mg per kg per dose. The syrup contains 120120 mg per 55 mL. How many millilitres per dose?

Compute the volume needed: Total dose =15 mg/kg×20 kg=300= 15 \text{ mg/kg} \times 20 \text{ kg} = 300 mg. The syrup is 120120 mg per 55 mL, so per millilitre it is 1205=24\frac{120}{5} = 24 mg/mL. The volume needed is the dose divided by that concentration:

300 mg24 mg/mL=12.5 mL\frac{300 \text{ mg}}{24 \text{ mg/mL}} = 12.5 \text{ mL}

A 12.512.5 mL dose of children's paracetamol is realistic, so the answer passes the sanity check.

Answer: 12.512.5 mL per dose.

Common traps
Confusing the rate with its reciprocal
Fuel consumption 8.58.5 L/100100 km is L on top, 100100 km on the bottom. Use it the way it is written.
Wrong unit conversion direction
11 km = 10001000 m, so converting 55 km to m gives 50005000, not 0.0050.005. From larger to smaller the number grows; from smaller to larger it shrinks.
Area and volume factors
11 m2^2 = 1000010000 cm2^2 (not 100100) and 11 m3^3 = 1 000 0001\,000\,000 cm3^3. Squared units need squared factors; cubed units need cubed factors.
Mismatched units in a rate
A speed in km/h needs the time in hours, not minutes. Convert first.
Forgetting unit cancellation
Treat units like algebraic symbols; multiplying L by $/L gives $. If the leftover unit is wrong, the setup is wrong.
Not sanity-checking dosages
An answer of dozens of tablets a day signals a unit error. Flag it.
Exam technique

Write each calculation with its units attached and arrange every step so the unwanted unit cancels and the unit you want survives; this single habit removes the "do I multiply or divide?" doubt and earns the method marks. Convert times, masses and lengths to the unit the rate uses before multiplying. For area or volume, square or cube the conversion factor and show that step. Round money to the nearest cent with a dollar sign, and finish every numerical answer with its unit. Where a context answer is wildly unrealistic (a $5000 tank of petrol, 100100 tablets a day), add a brief note that the figure looks implausible; it shows the marker you understand the rate, not just the arithmetic.

Note

A rate is just a way of saying how much of one thing you get for one of another. Think "how many kilometres per hour" when you drive, "how many dollars per litre" at the petrol bowser, or "how many litres of fuel per 100 km" for a car. Once you know the amount for one, you can find the amount for any number by multiplying. A unit conversion is simply swapping the name of a measurement, like turning kilometres into metres, without changing how much there really is. The maths here is mostly one or two times or divide steps, so the real skill is keeping track of the labels and checking the answer makes sense.

Exam-style questions

Questions in the style of NESA exam questions on this dot point, each with a worked answer. They are written by ExamExplained unless tagged "Past paper"; the year shows the paper a question is modelled on.

2023 HSC-style3 marks
A car uses fuel at a rate of 8.58.5 L per 100100 km. Petrol costs $1.92 per litre. Find the fuel cost for a trip of 620620 km.
Show worked answer →

Fuel used: 8.5100×620=0.085×620=52.7\frac{8.5}{100} \times 620 = 0.085 \times 620 = 52.7 L.

Cost: 52.7×1.92=101.1852.7 \times 1.92 = 101.18, i.e. $101.18 (round to cents).

Markers reward the fuel-used calculation, the cost calculation, and the answer rounded to cents with the dollar sign.

2021 HSC-style3 marks
A patient is prescribed 400400 mg of medication per kg of body weight per day. The patient weighs 6565 kg. The medication comes in 250250 mg tablets. How many tablets per day?
Show worked answer →

Daily dose: 400 mg/kg×65 kg=26000400 \text{ mg/kg} \times 65 \text{ kg} = 26000 mg/day.

Convert to tablets: 26000250=104\frac{26000}{250} = 104 tablets per day.

That is implausibly many, so the question likely intended 44 mg per kg, giving 260260 mg per day and roughly 11 tablet per day. In the exam, work the maths as stated and add a brief flag if the result is implausible. Markers reward correct unit-by-unit computation and an answer to the right precision.

Practice questions

Original practice questions graded from foundation to exam level, each with a full worked solution. Try them before revealing the solution.

foundation1 mark
A walking track is signposted as 2.42.4 km long. Convert this length to metres.
Show worked solution →

Choose the direction and factor. Kilometres are larger than metres, so going from km to m you multiply, and the number grows. The factor is 10001000 because 11 km =1000= 1000 m.

Multiply by the factor.

2.4×1000=24002.4 \times 1000 = 2400

Answer: the track is 2400 m2400 \text{ m} long. Check the direction: a larger unit converting to a smaller one should give a bigger number, and 24002400 is bigger than 2.42.4, so this is right.

foundation1 mark
A cyclist rides 2424 km in 1.51.5 hours at a steady pace. Find the average speed in kilometres per hour.
Show worked solution →

Set up the rate. Average speed is distance divided by time, so the kilometres stay on top and the hours on the bottom to give km/h directly:

speed=24 km1.5 h\text{speed} = \frac{24 \text{ km}}{1.5 \text{ h}}

Divide.

241.5=16\frac{24}{1.5} = 16

Answer: the average speed is 16 km/h16 \text{ km/h}. Check the size: 1616 km/h for 1.51.5 hours covers 16×1.5=2416 \times 1.5 = 24 km, which matches the distance given.

foundation2 marks
During a fitness test, a student counts 1919 heartbeats in 1515 seconds. Express the heart rate in beats per minute.
Show worked solution →

Read the rate from the data. The count is 1919 beats per 1515 seconds, so the rate is 19 beats15 s\dfrac{19 \text{ beats}}{15 \text{ s}}.

Scale the time to one minute. A heart rate in beats per minute needs the time as 6060 s, so multiply the rate by 6060; the seconds cancel and beats survive:

1915×60=19×4=76\frac{19}{15} \times 60 = 19 \times 4 = 76

Answer with units. The heart rate is 7676 beats per minute. Check the size: a resting rate near 7676 bpm is realistic, and 1919 beats in a quarter of a minute should give about four times as many in a full minute, which it does.

foundation2 marks
At a supermarket a 11 kg bag of rice costs $3.60 and a 55 kg bag of the same rice costs $16.00. Which bag is better value?
Show worked solution →

Reduce both to a common unit cost. Compare cost per 100100 g. For the 11 kg (10001000 g) bag:

3.601000×100=0.36 dollars per 100 g\frac{3.60}{1000} \times 100 = 0.36 \text{ dollars per } 100 \text{ g}

For the 55 kg (50005000 g) bag:

16.005000×100=0.32 dollars per 100 g\frac{16.00}{5000} \times 100 = 0.32 \text{ dollars per } 100 \text{ g}

Compare and conclude. The large bag costs $0.32 per 100100 g against $0.36 for the small bag, so it is 44 cents cheaper per 100100 g.

Answer. The 55 kg bag is better value. Check the logic: the bigger pack giving the lower unit price is the usual pattern, so the result is sensible.

core3 marks
(a) Convert a speed of 5454 km/h to metres per second. (b) Convert a speed of 12.512.5 m/s to kilometres per hour.
Show worked solution →

Part (a) km/h to m/s, so turn km into m and h into s. Multiply by 10001000 to change kilometres to metres and divide by 36003600 to change hours to seconds:

54 km/h=54×10003600=54 0003600=15 m/s54 \text{ km/h} = \frac{54 \times 1000}{3600} = \frac{54\,000}{3600} = 15 \text{ m/s}

so 5454 km/h =15= 15 m/s. The quick rule is to divide by 3.63.6: 54÷3.6=1554 \div 3.6 = 15.

Part (b) m/s to km/h, so multiply by 3.63.6. Going the other way reverses the factor:

12.5×3.6=4512.5 \times 3.6 = 45

so 12.512.5 m/s =45= 45 km/h. The factor is 3.63.6 because 11 km/h =1000 m3600 s=13.6= \dfrac{1000 \text{ m}}{3600 \text{ s}} = \dfrac{1}{3.6} m/s, and m/s is always the smaller of the two numbers, which is the check on direction.

core3 marks
A large SUV uses fuel at a rate of 9.29.2 L per 100100 km. The driver completes a trip of 540540 km. Petrol costs $2.05 per litre. Find the cost of the fuel for the trip.
Show worked solution →

Calculate the fuel used. For every kilometre the SUV uses 9.2100\dfrac{9.2}{100} L, so multiply by the distance and the kilometres cancel to leave litres:

fuel=9.2100×540=0.092×540=49.68 L\text{fuel} = \frac{9.2}{100} \times 540 = 0.092 \times 540 = 49.68 \text{ L}

Multiply fuel by the price per litre. Litres times dollars per litre leaves dollars:

cost=49.68×2.05=101.844\text{cost} = 49.68 \times 2.05 = 101.844

Answer rounded to cents. The fuel costs $101.84 (rounding 101.844101.844 to the nearest cent). Check the leftover unit: L multiplied by $/L gives dollars, so the setup is right.

core3 marks
A sprinter runs 100100 m in 12.512.5 seconds. (a) Find the average speed in metres per second. (b) Convert this speed to kilometres per hour.
Show worked solution →

Part (a) speed in m/s. Speed is distance divided by time, with metres on top and seconds on the bottom to give m/s:

100 m12.5 s=8 m/s\frac{100 \text{ m}}{12.5 \text{ s}} = 8 \text{ m/s}

Part (b) convert m/s to km/h. Multiply by 10001000 to make metres kilometres and divide by 36003600 to make seconds hours, or use the quick rule of multiplying by 3.63.6:

8×3.6=28.88 \times 3.6 = 28.8

Answer: the sprinter runs at 8 m/s8 \text{ m/s}, which is 28.8 km/h28.8 \text{ km/h}. Check the direction: m/s is always the smaller number, and 88 is less than 28.828.8, so the conversion is the right way round.

core2 marks
An adult is prescribed a 500500 mg dose of an antibiotic. The medicine is a suspension containing 250250 mg per 55 mL. What volume of the suspension, in millilitres, gives the correct dose?
Show worked solution →

Find the concentration per millilitre. The suspension is 250250 mg per 55 mL, so per millilitre it is

2505=50 mg/mL\frac{250}{5} = 50 \text{ mg/mL}

Divide the dose by the concentration. The volume needed is the dose divided by the milligrams in each millilitre; the milligrams cancel and millilitres survive:

500 mg50 mg/mL=10 mL\frac{500 \text{ mg}}{50 \text{ mg/mL}} = 10 \text{ mL}

Answer. The correct dose is 1010 mL. Check the size: 1010 mL is two of the 55 mL spoonfuls, and two lots of 250250 mg is 500500 mg, which matches the prescription.

exam5 marks
A swimming-pool pump is rated at 1.11.1 kW and runs for 88 hours each day. Electricity costs $0.30 per kWh. (a) Find the energy the pump uses in one day, in kWh. (b) Find the cost of running the pump for one day. (c) Find the cost of running the pump for a 3030-day month. (d) The owner reduces the daily run time to 55 hours. How much is saved over a 3030-day month?
Show worked solution →

Part (a) energy per day. The pump is rated in kilowatts, so energy is kilowatts times hours:

E=1.1×8=8.8 kWh per dayE = 1.1 \times 8 = 8.8 \text{ kWh per day}

Part (b) cost per day. Multiply the energy by the price per kWh:

8.8×0.30=2.648.8 \times 0.30 = 2.64

so the daily cost is $2.64.

Part (c) cost for 3030 days. Multiply the daily cost by 3030:

2.64×30=79.202.64 \times 30 = 79.20

so the monthly cost is $79.20.

Part (d) saving from running 55 hours instead of 88. At 55 hours a day the energy is 1.1×5=5.51.1 \times 5 = 5.5 kWh, costing 5.5×0.30=1.655.5 \times 0.30 = 1.65 dollars a day, or 1.65×30=49.501.65 \times 30 = 49.50 dollars a month. The saving is

79.20−49.50=29.7079.20 - 49.50 = 29.70

Answer. The owner saves $29.70 over the month. Check: the run time drops by 33 of the 88 hours, so the saving should be 38\tfrac{3}{8} of $79.20, and 38×79.20=29.70\tfrac{3}{8} \times 79.20 = 29.70, which agrees.

exam5 marks
A family drives 500500 km from Sydney to Port Macquarie. Their car uses fuel at 7.57.5 L per 100100 km and petrol costs $1.96 per litre. (a) Find the fuel used for the trip, in litres. (b) Find the cost of the fuel, to the nearest cent. (c) If they drive at an average speed of 9595 km/h, find the driving time in hours and minutes, to the nearest minute.
Show worked solution →

Part (a) fuel used. For every kilometre the car uses 7.5100\dfrac{7.5}{100} L, so multiply by the distance:

fuel=7.5100×500=0.075×500=37.5 L\text{fuel} = \frac{7.5}{100} \times 500 = 0.075 \times 500 = 37.5 \text{ L}

Part (b) cost of the fuel. Litres times dollars per litre:

37.5×1.96=73.5037.5 \times 1.96 = 73.50

so the fuel costs $73.50.

Part (c) driving time. Time is distance divided by speed, with kilometres cancelling against the km in km/h to leave hours:

T=50095≈5.2632 hT = \frac{500}{95} \approx 5.2632 \text{ h}

Convert the decimal part to minutes by multiplying by 6060:

0.2632×60≈15.8 min0.2632 \times 60 \approx 15.8 \text{ min}

so the time is 55 hours and 1616 minutes to the nearest minute.

Answer. The trip uses 37.537.5 L costing $73.50, and the drive takes about 55 h 1616 min. Check the time: 55 h at 9595 km/h covers 475475 km, leaving 2525 km, which at 9595 km/h takes about 1616 minutes, matching.

exam5 marks
A patient weighing 8080 kg is prescribed a medication at 55 mg per kg per day, taken once daily as 100100 mg tablets. (a) Find the total daily dose, in milligrams. (b) Find how many tablets make up the daily dose. (c) Separately, the patient is put on an IV drip of 12001200 mL of fluid to run evenly over 88 hours. Find the flow rate in millilitres per hour. (d) The drip delivers 2020 drops per millilitre. Find the rate in drops per minute.
Show worked solution →

Part (a) total daily dose. Multiply the rate by the body weight; the kilograms cancel and milligrams survive:

5 mg/kg×80 kg=400 mg/day5 \text{ mg/kg} \times 80 \text{ kg} = 400 \text{ mg/day}

Part (b) number of tablets. Divide the dose by the strength of each tablet:

400100=4 tablets\frac{400}{100} = 4 \text{ tablets}

Part (c) flow rate in mL/h. Divide the volume by the time:

1200 mL8 h=150 mL/h\frac{1200 \text{ mL}}{8 \text{ h}} = 150 \text{ mL/h}

Part (d) rate in drops per minute. Convert millilitres per hour to drops per minute: multiply by 2020 drops per mL and divide by 6060 minutes per hour, so the millilitres and hours cancel and drops per minute survive:

150 mL/h×20 drops/mL60 min/h=150×2060=50 drops/min150 \text{ mL/h} \times \frac{20 \text{ drops/mL}}{60 \text{ min/h}} = \frac{150 \times 20}{60} = 50 \text{ drops/min}

Answer. The daily dose is 400400 mg (44 tablets), the drip runs at 150150 mL/h, and the drop rate is 5050 drops per minute. Check the dose: 400400 mg a day as 44 tablets is realistic, and 5050 drops per minute is a steady, plausible drip rate.

exam5 marks
A household shower head delivers water at 99 L per minute. (a) Find the water used in one 88-minute shower, in litres. (b) A family of four each take one such shower a day. Find the water used over a 3030-day month, in kilolitres (11 kL =1000= 1000 L). (c) Water costs $2.40 per kilolitre. Find the cost of these showers for the month, to the nearest cent. (d) The family fits a water-saving head delivering 66 L per minute, with shower times unchanged. Find the saving in dollars over the same month.
Show worked solution →

Part (a) water per shower. Flow rate times time, with minutes cancelling to leave litres:

9 L/min×8 min=72 L9 \text{ L/min} \times 8 \text{ min} = 72 \text{ L}

Part (b) water for the month. Four showers a day use 72×4=28872 \times 4 = 288 L per day, so over 3030 days:

288×30=8640 L=8.64 kL288 \times 30 = 8640 \text{ L} = 8.64 \text{ kL}

dividing by 10001000 to change litres to kilolitres.

Part (c) cost for the month. Kilolitres times dollars per kilolitre leaves dollars:

8.64×2.40=20.7368.64 \times 2.40 = 20.736

so the cost is $20.74 to the nearest cent.

Part (d) saving with the water-saving head. At 66 L/min each shower uses 6×8=486 \times 8 = 48 L, so the month uses 48×4×30=576048 \times 4 \times 30 = 5760 L =5.76= 5.76 kL, costing 5.76×2.40=13.8245.76 \times 2.40 = 13.824, i.e. $13.82. The saving is

20.74−13.82=6.9220.74 - 13.82 = 6.92

Answer. The new head saves about $6.92 over the month (using the rounded monthly figures). Check: the flow drops by 33 of every 99 L/min, which is a third, so the saving should be roughly a third of $20.74, and 13×20.74≈6.91\frac{1}{3} \times 20.74 \approx 6.91, which agrees.

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