One troy ounce is 20 pennyweights, one pennyweight is 24 grains, and one grain is approximately 65 milligrams. How much is 1000 troy ounces, in SI units?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To convert 1000 troy ounces into SI units (grams), we can break the conversion down into steps based on the provided conversions:
- Convert troy ounces to pennyweights:
- One troy ounce = 20 pennyweights.
- 1000 troy ounces = 1000 × 20 = 20,000 pennyweights.
- Convert pennyweights to grains:
- One pennyweight = 24 grains.
- 20,000 pennyweights = 20,000 × 24 = 480,000 grains.
- Convert grains to milligrams:
- One grain ≈ 65 milligrams.
- 480,000 grains = 480,000 × 65 = 31,200,000 milligrams.
- Convert milligrams to grams:
- 1 gram = 1000 milligrams.
- 31,200,000 milligrams = 31,200,000 ÷ 1000 = 31,200 grams.
So, 1000 troy ounces is equivalent to 31,200 grams or 31.2 kilograms.
Explanation:
The troy ounce is traditionally used in the measurement of precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Since it’s slightly heavier than the avoirdupois ounce commonly used for most other goods, we must convert it into standard metric units to work with the SI system. The pennyweight is used primarily in the context of jewelry, while grains are a smaller unit commonly used in measuring precious metals.
Using this step-by-step approach, we can easily convert 1000 troy ounces into grams (31,200 grams). This method highlights the importance of knowing unit conversion factors when working with different measurement systems, especially when dealing with precious metals.
