If the concentration of gold in seawater is 2.0 milligram per ton of sea water and the mass of the ocean is 1.5 × 10¹⁸ tons,how much gold is in the ocean? A)3.0 × 10¹² kg B)3.0 kg C)300 g D)36 mg E)3000 lb

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

First, convert the mass of the ocean from scientific notation to regular notation:

1.5 × 10^21 tons = 1,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons

Then, use dimensional analysis to find the total amount of gold in the ocean:

1.5 × 10^21 tons sea water x 2.0 mg Au/ton sea water x (1 kg/1,000,000 mg) x (1,000 lb/0.454 kg) = 3.0 × 10^12 lb Au

Finally, convert the mass of gold from pounds to kilograms:

3.0 × 10^12 lb Au x (0.454 kg/1 lb) = 1.36 × 10^12 kg Au

Therefore, the answer is (A) 3.0 × 10^12 kg.

If the Concentration of Gold in Seawater Is 2