Question

A team of eight dogs pulls a sled with waxed wood runners on wet snow (mush!). The dogs have average masses of 20.0 kg, and the loaded sled with its rider has a mass of 220 kg. What is the total mass of the dogs and the sled with its rider?

Answer 1

The total mass of the eight dogs and the sled with its rider is 380 kg, calculated by adding the mass of the dogs (160 kg) to the mass of the sled and rider (220 kg).

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the total mass of the dogs and the sled with its rider, we simply add the mass of all the dogs to the mass of the sled and rider. Since there are eight dogs, each with an average mass of 20.0 kg, the total mass of the dogs alone is:

• Mass of dogs = Number of dogs × Average mass of each dog
• Mass of dogs = 8 dogs × 20.0 kg/dog
• Mass of dogs = 160 kg

The mass of the loaded sled with its rider is given as 220 kg. Therefore, the total mass is the sum of the mass of the dogs and the mass of the sled with its rider.

• Total mass = Mass of dogs + Mass of sled with rider
• Total mass = 160 kg + 220 kg
• Total mass = 380 kg

This is the combined mass that the dogs will be pulling on the wet snow with their waxed wood runners.