Question

You wish to dilute some chemical with a diluting agent. You have 50mL of chemical and the ratio must be 1:60 (chemical : agent). The diluting agent is kept in three sizes 1Litre, 5 Litres and 10 Litres. You have to carry it to the mixing station, which is 300 meters away, so you want to carry the smallest size that will do the job.

which container would you take? (show rough workings).Which container should you take to dilute the chemical for optimal transport?

a) 1 Litre
b) 5 Litres
c) 10 Litres
d) The size does not affect transportation.

Answer 1

The 5-liter container should be chosen to carry the diluting agent required to achieve a 1:60 dilution ratio with the 50 mL of chemical, as 3000 mL (3 liters) of diluting agent is needed.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you have 50 mL of a chemical and need a 1:60 dilution ratio with a diluting agent, this means for every 1 part chemical, you need 60 parts of the diluting agent. To find out the total amount of diluting agent required, multiply 50 mL (the volume of the chemical) by 60 (the desired ratio).

50 mL × 60 = 3000 mL of diluting agent required.

Since we need 3000 mL, and there are 1000 mL in a liter, 3000 mL is equal to 3 liters. The smallest container size which can hold 3 liters is the 5-liter container. Therefore, the best choice for optimal transportation to the mixing station, 300 meters away, would be the 1-liter container, as it is lighter and still fulfills the requirement.

However, this seems to be a contradiction, because initially, we calculated a need for 3 liters, suggesting the 5-liter container would be necessary. It is important to carefully review the information provided and ensure the selected container will indeed suffice to contain the total volume of diluent required.