Aspirin has a density of 1.40 g/cm3. What is the volume in cubic centimeters of an aspirin tablet weighing 250 mg? Of a tablet weighing 500 lb?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Convert the mass of the aspirin tablet from milligrams to grams for the first part of the problem. Remember that 1 gram equals 1000 milligrams.
2. Use the density formula, which is Density = Mass/Volume. Rearrange the formula to solve for Volume, so Volume = Mass/Density.
3. Substitute the mass of the 250 mg tablet (converted to grams) and the density of aspirin into the rearranged formula to find the volume in cubic centimeters.
4. For the second part, convert the mass of the aspirin tablet from pounds to grams. Recall that 1 pound equals approximately 453.592 grams.
5. Substitute the mass of the 500 lb tablet (converted to grams) and the density of aspirin into the rearranged formula to find the volume in cubic centimeters.

Key Concepts

Density

Density is defined as mass per unit volume, typically expressed in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) in chemistry. It is a crucial property that helps determine how much space a substance occupies relative to its mass. In this question, the density of aspirin (1.40 g/cm³) is used to calculate the volume of the tablets based on their mass.

Mass to Volume Conversion

To find the volume of a substance from its mass and density, the formula used is Volume = Mass / Density. This relationship allows us to convert between mass (in grams or milligrams) and volume (in cubic centimeters) by rearranging the density equation. Understanding this conversion is essential for solving the problem presented.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another. In this question, the mass of the aspirin tablets is given in milligrams (mg) and pounds (lb), which need to be converted to grams (g) for consistency with the density unit. Mastery of unit conversion is vital for accurate calculations in chemistry.