# 1.4 Approximation  (Page 2/3)

 Page 2 / 3

Solution

(1) Calculate the volume of a stack of 100 bills. The dimensions of a single bill are approximately 3 in. by 6 in. A stack of 100 of these is about 0.5 in. thick. So the total volume of a stack of 100 bills is:

$\begin{array}{}\text{volume of stack}=\text{length}×\text{width}×\text{height,}\\ \text{volume of stack}=\text{6 in}\text{.}×\text{3 in}\text{.}×0\text{.}\text{5 in}\text{.},\\ \text{volume of stack}=\text{9 in}{\text{.}}^{3}\text{.}\end{array}$

(2) Calculate the number of stacks. Note that a trillion dollars is equal to $1×{\text{10}}^{\text{12}},$ and a stack of one-hundred $\text{100}$ bills is equal to $\text{10},\text{000},$ or $1×{\text{10}}^{4}$ . The number of stacks you will have is:

$1×{\text{10}}^{\text{12}}\left(\text{a trillion dollars}\right)\text{/ 1}×{\text{10}}^{4}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{per stack}=1×{\text{10}}^{8}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{stacks.}$

(3) Calculate the area of a football field in square inches. The area of a football field is $\text{100 yd}×\text{50 yd,}$ which gives $5,{\text{000 yd}}^{2}.$ Because we are working in inches, we need to convert square yards to square inches:

$\begin{array}{}\text{Area}={\text{5,000 yd}}^{2}×\frac{3\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{ft}}{\text{1 yd}}×\frac{3\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{ft}}{\text{1 yd}}×\frac{\text{12}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{in}\text{.}}{\text{1 ft}}×\frac{\text{12}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{in}\text{.}}{\text{1 ft}}=6,\text{480},\text{000}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{in}{\text{.}}^{2},\\ \text{Area}\approx 6×{\text{10}}^{6}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{in}{\text{.}}^{2}\text{.}\end{array}$

This conversion gives us $6×{\text{10}}^{6}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{in}{\text{.}}^{2}$ for the area of the field. (Note that we are using only one significant figure in these calculations.)

(4) Calculate the total volume of the bills. The volume of all the $\text{100}$ -bill stacks is

(5) Calculate the height. To determine the height of the bills, use the equation:

$\begin{array}{lll}\text{volume of bills}& =& \text{area of field}×\text{height of money:}\\ \text{Height of money}& =& \frac{\text{volume of bills}}{\text{area of field}},\\ \text{Height of money}& =& \frac{9×{\text{10}}^{8}\text{in}{\text{.}}^{3}}{6×{\text{10}}^{6}{\text{in.}}^{2}}=1.33×{\text{10}}^{2}\text{in.,}\\ \text{Height of money}& \approx & 1×{\text{10}}^{2}\text{in.}=\text{100 in.}\end{array}$

The height of the money will be about 100 in. high. Converting this value to feet gives

$\text{100 in}\text{.}×\frac{\text{1 ft}}{\text{12 in}\text{.}}=8\text{.}\text{33 ft}\approx \text{8 ft.}$

Discussion

The final approximate value is much higher than the early estimate of 3 in., but the other early estimate of 10 ft (120 in.) was roughly correct. How did the approximation measure up to your first guess? What can this exercise tell you in terms of rough “guesstimates” versus carefully calculated approximations?

Using mental math and your understanding of fundamental units, approximate the area of a regulation basketball court. Describe the process you used to arrive at your final approximation.

An average male is about two meters tall. It would take approximately 15 men laid out end to end to cover the length, and about 7 to cover the width. That gives an approximate area of .

## Summary

Scientists often approximate the values of quantities to perform calculations and analyze systems.

## Problems&Exercises

How many heartbeats are there in a lifetime?

Sample answer: $2×{\text{10}}^{9}$ heartbeats

A generation is about one-third of a lifetime. Approximately how many generations have passed since the year 0 AD?

How many times longer than the mean life of an extremely unstable atomic nucleus is the lifetime of a human? (Hint: The lifetime of an unstable atomic nucleus is on the order of .)

Sample answer: $2×{\text{10}}^{\text{31}}$ if an average human lifetime is taken to be about 70 years.

Calculate the approximate number of atoms in a bacterium. Assume that the average mass of an atom in the bacterium is ten times the mass of a hydrogen atom. (Hint: The mass of a hydrogen atom is on the order of and the mass of a bacterium is on the order of )

Approximately how many atoms thick is a cell membrane, assuming all atoms there average about twice the size of a hydrogen atom?

Sample answer: 50 atoms

(a) What fraction of Earth’s diameter is the greatest ocean depth? (b) The greatest mountain height?

(a) Calculate the number of cells in a hummingbird assuming the mass of an average cell is ten times the mass of a bacterium. (b) Making the same assumption, how many cells are there in a human?

(a) ${\text{10}}^{\text{12}}$ cells/hummingbird

(b) ${\text{10}}^{\text{16}}$ cells/human

Assuming one nerve impulse must end before another can begin, what is the maximum firing rate of a nerve in impulses per second?

#### Questions & Answers

What is the difference between a principle and a law
the law is universally proved. The principal depends on certain conditions.
Dr
state Faraday first law
it states that mass of an element deposited during electrolysis is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity discharge
Olamide
what does the speedometer of a car measure ?
Car speedometer measures the rate of change of distance per unit time.
Moses
describe how a Michelson interferometer can be used to measure the index of refraction of a gas (including air)
using the law of reflection explain how powder takes the shine off a person's nose. what is the name of the optical effect?
WILLIAM
is higher resolution of microscope using red or blue light?.explain
WILLIAM
what is dimensional consistent
Mohammed
In engineering and science, dimensional analysis is the analysis of the relationships between different physical quantities by identifying their base quantities and units of measure and tracking these dimensions as calculations or comparisons are performed
syed
can sound wave in air be polarized?
Unlike transverse waves such as electromagnetic waves, longitudinal waves such as sound waves cannot be polarized. ... Since sound waves vibrate along their direction of propagation, they cannot be polarized
Astronomy
A proton moves at 7.50×107m/s perpendicular to a magnetic field. The field causes the proton to travel in a circular path of radius 0.800 m. What is the field strength?
derived dimenionsal formula
what is the difference between mass and weight
assume that a boy was born when his father was eighteen years.if the boy is thirteen years old now, how is his father in
Isru
31yrs
Olamide
what is head-on collision
what is airflow
derivative of first differential equation
why static friction is greater than Kinetic friction
draw magnetic field pattern for two wire carrying current in the same direction
An American traveler in New Zealand carries a transformer to convert New Zealand’s standard 240 V to 120 V so that she can use some small appliances on her trip.
What is the ratio of turns in the primary and secondary coils of her transformer?
nkombo
what is energy
Yusuf
How electric lines and equipotential surface are mutually perpendicular?
The potential difference between any two points on the surface is zero that implies È.Ŕ=0, Where R is the distance between two different points &E= Electric field intensity. From which we have cos þ =0, where þ is the angle between the directions of field and distance line, as E andR are zero. Thus
sorry..E and R are non zero...