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Assume that the north american continent can be represented by a slab of rock 4100 km on a side and 31 km deep and that the rock has an average mass density of 3000 kg/m³ . the continent is moving at the rate of about 1.4 cm/year.

A. What is the volume of the North American continent in cubic kilometers?
B. What is the total mass of the North American continent?
C. How much does the North American continent move in centimeters in 10 years?
D. Calculate the density of the North American continent in kg/m³.

User Xenology
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The volume of the North American continent is 16,185,100 km³, its mass is approximately 48,555,300,000,000,000 kg, it moves 14 centimeters in 10 years, and its density is 3000 kg/m³.

Step-by-step explanation:

To answer the student's questions about the North American continent, we need to apply concepts of basic geometry and physics.

Part A: Volume Calculation

Volume is calculated by multiplying the length by the width by the depth. Thus, the volume of the North American continent can be determined as follows:

Volume = 4100 km × 4100 km × 31 km

Volume = 522,100 km² × 31 km

Volume = 16,185,100 km³

Part B: Mass Calculation

Mass is calculated by multiplying volume by density. The mass of the North American continent can be found using the formula:

Mass = Volume × Density

First, we need to convert the volume from cubic kilometers to cubic meters:

1 km³ = 1,000,000,000 m³

Volume in cubic meters = 16,185,100 km³ × 1,000,000,000 m³/km³

Volume in cubic meters = 16,185,100 × 10¹ m³

Now, we calculate the mass:

Mass = 16,185,100 × 10¹ m³ × 3000 kg/m³

Mass = 48,555,300,000,000,000 kg

Part C: Continental Movement over 10 Years

To calculate how much the North American continent moves in 10 years, we just need to multiply the yearly rate of movement by the number of years:

Movement in 10 years = 1.4 cm/year × 10 years

Movement in 10 years = 14 centimeters

Part D: Density Calculation

The density of the North American continent is already provided as 3000 kg/m³, so no additional calculation is needed.

User Kukuh Tw
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