A school bus weighs 7 tons. The weight limit for a bridge is given in pounds. What is the weight of the bus in pounds?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
1 ton = 2,000 pounds
So,
7 tons × 2,000 pounds/ton = 14,000 pounds
Explanation:
To solve this problem, you need to convert a weight given in tons into pounds. This type of question is common when measurements need to match a certain unit—for example, when comparing the weight of a vehicle to a bridge’s weight limit, both measurements must be in the same unit for accurate comparison.
The ton is a unit of weight commonly used in the United States, especially for large or heavy objects like vehicles, cargo, or machinery. In the U.S. customary system, 1 ton is equal to 2,000 pounds. This is known as the short ton, which is different from the metric ton or long ton used in other countries.
To convert from tons to pounds, you multiply the number of tons by 2,000. This is because the conversion factor between tons and pounds is 2,000 pounds for every ton.
In this case, the school bus weighs 7 tons. To find out how much that is in pounds, multiply 7 by 2,000:7 tons×2,000 pounds/ton=14,000 pounds7 \text{ tons} \times 2,000 \text{ pounds/ton} = 14,000 \text{ pounds}7 tons×2,000 pounds/ton=14,000 pounds
This means the school bus weighs 14,000 pounds.
When checking if the bus can safely cross the bridge, the bridge’s weight limit must be more than 14,000 pounds. If the bridge’s weight limit is less than this, the bus should not cross it because the bridge may not support that much weight, leading to dangerous consequences.
In summary, converting between units is a critical math skill, especially when interpreting real-world data. Always make sure both values you’re comparing are in the same unit before drawing any conclusions
