Question

On a spending spree in Malaysia, you buy an ox with a weight of 28.9 piculs in the local unit of weights: 1 picul $\mathbf{=}$100 gins, 1 gin $\mathbf{=}$16 tahils, 1 tahil $\mathbf{=}$10 chees, and 1 chee $\mathbf{=}$10 hoons. The weight of 1 hoon corresponds to a mass of 0.3779 g. When you arrange to ship the ox home to your astonished family, how much mass in kilograms must you declare on the shipping manifest? (Hint: Set up multiple chain-link conversions.)

Short answer

The mass of ox declare on the shipping manifest is$1.75\times {10}^3\mathrm{kg}$.

Step-by-step solution

Given data

The weight of ox is 28.9 piculs

$$\begin{gathered} 1\mathrm{picul}=100\mathrm{gins} \\ 1\mathrm{gin}=16\mathrm{tahil} \\ 1\mathrm{tahil}=10\mathrm{chees} \\ 1\mathrm{chee}=10\mathrm{hoons} \\ 1\mathrm{hoon}=0.3779\mathrm{g} \end{gathered}$$

Understanding the conversion factor

Every measure can be attributed to different units. Such units may be converted between them using a conversion factor.In this problem, multiple chain link conversions are needed to answer the mass of ox in kilograms.

Determination of the mass of ox in kilograms

Convert the mass of ox in grams as:

$$\begin{gathered} \left(28.9\mathrm{picules}\right)=\left(28.9\mathrm{picules}\right)\left(\frac{100\mathrm{gin}}{1\mathrm{picule}}\right)\left(\frac{16\mathrm{tahil}}{1\mathrm{gin}}\right)\left(\frac{10\mathrm{chee}}{1\mathrm{tahi}}\right)\left(\frac{10\mathrm{hoon}}{1\mathrm{chee}}\right)\left(\frac{.03779\mathrm{g}}{1\mathrm{hoon}}\right) \\ =1,747,409.6\mathrm{g} \end{gathered}$$

Now, convert the mass of ox from g to kg.

$$\begin{gathered} 1,747,409.6\mathrm{g}=1,747,409.6\mathrm{g}.\left(\frac{1\mathrm{kg}}{{10}^3\mathrm{g}}\right) \\ =1.75\times {10}^3\mathrm{kg} \end{gathered}$$

Thus, the mass of ox declare on the shipping manifest is$1.75\times {10}^3\mathrm{kg}$.