150 yd3 of water - what is the mass in pounds of water?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the mass of water in a swimming pool that holds 150 cubic yards of water. Participants are exploring the relationship between volume and mass in the context of physics, specifically focusing on the properties of water and unit conversions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the volume by cubing 150, leading to confusion about the actual volume of the pool. Some participants question this approach and suggest reconsidering the assumptions made about the dimensions of the pool.
  • Another participant introduces the concept of density and its role in calculating mass from volume, prompting further exploration of the relationship between these quantities.
  • There is a suggestion to visualize the volume in terms of dump truck capacity to aid understanding.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing guidance on how to approach the problem. There is a mix of interpretations regarding the initial calculations, and some participants are encouraging the original poster to engage with the problem more deeply by attempting calculations themselves.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating potential misunderstandings about volume calculations and the properties of water, as well as the need for unit conversions between cubic yards and other measurements. There is a focus on ensuring clarity in the assumptions made about the swimming pool's dimensions.

master c
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Hi all,

I do hope I have chosen the right forum thread to ask this question. I don't want to waste anyones time. I am trying to help guide my girlfriend with some physics questions with not much luck. One question that we are struggling with is:

A typical backyard swimming pool holds 150yd3 of water.

What is the mass in pounds of water?

So I believe you would do 150 cubed which is 150 x 150 x 150 = 3375000 yards of water in the pool - am i correct? However from there I am lost in regards to working out what the mass in pounds of water is?

Many thanks to anyone in advance which can guide us through breaking down and answering such a question.
 
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You have to multiply the volume with the density (\rho)

Volume x \rho = mass
 
master c said:
A typical backyard swimming pool holds 150yd3 of water.

So I believe you would do 150 cubed which is 150 x 150 x 150 = 3375000 yards of water in the pool
- am i correct?
No.

Math learning is first about intuiting the answer. Intuitively, have you ever seen a pool that is 150 yards long and wide, and 150 yards deep?

This should tell you there's something wrong with your first assumption.

What is the volume of this pool?
 
A typical 3-axle dump truck holds nearly 15 cubic yards of material, so how many of those would you need to be equivalent to the volume of your swimming pool? Can you visualize that?

It's pretty easy to find out what the weight of a cubic foot of water weighs, so how many cubic feet in a cubic yard, and what can you get for the weight of a cubic yard of water?

Take a stab at the calculation, so we can see if you understand the problem, and if not, why not.
 

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