Which of the following conversion factors would you use to convert 1 liter of water to pounds (lbs)?

• A. 1 L × 1 lb / 1 L
• B. 1 L × 1000 g / 1 L × 1 lb / 1000 g
• C. 1 L × 0.4536 kg / 1 L × 1 lb / 1 kg
• D. 1 L × 1 kg / 1 L × 2.205 lbs / 1 kg

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the units you start with and the units you want to end with. Here, you start with liters (L) of water and want to convert to pounds (lbs).
2. Recognize that liters measure volume, while pounds measure mass, so you need to use the density of water to relate volume to mass. The density of water is approximately 1 kg per 1 L.
3. Use the density to convert liters of water to kilograms: multiply by the conversion factor \$1\ \text{kg} / 1\ \text{L}$.
4. Next, convert kilograms to pounds using the conversion factor \$2.205\ \text{lbs} / 1\ \text{kg}$.
5. Combine these conversion factors in a chain to cancel units properly: \$1\ \text{L} \times \frac{1\ \text{kg}}{1\ \text{L}} \times \frac{2.205\ \text{lbs}}{1\ \text{kg}}$. This will give you the mass in pounds.