Question

Number Sense: One of the world's heaviest hailstones weighed 2.2 pounds. Which is more appropriate to express its mass, 1 kilogram or 1 gram?

a) 1 kilogram
b) 1 gram
c) 2.2 kilograms
d) 2.2 grams

Answer 1

The appropriate unit to express the mass of a hailstone weighing 2.2 pounds is 1 kilogram, as one kilogram is roughly equivalent to 2.2 pounds. Therefore, the answer is a) 1 kilogram.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is about comparing different units of mass to express the weight of a hailstone. One of the world's heaviest hailstones weighed 2.2 pounds, and the question asks for the most appropriate unit of mass to express this weight in the metric system. Given that one kilogram is roughly equivalent to 2.2 pounds, the most suitable unit to express the mass of this hailstone is 1 kilogram. Therefore, option a) 1 kilogram is the correct answer, while 1 gram would be much too small since a gram is only 1/1000th of a kilogram. In calculations where precision is important, units should be expressed in a manner that allows for a small and manageable number that aligns with the least precise measurement available, which, in the context of our reference material, would be rounded to the 0.1 decimal place.