Convert 17,660 ft/min to mi/hr: Math Error?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on converting 17,660 feet per minute (ft/min) to miles per hour (mi/hr). The correct conversion involves first converting feet to miles by dividing by 5,280, resulting in 3.345 miles per minute. The error occurred when the user incorrectly divided by 60 minutes without properly converting to hours. The proper approach is to multiply by a conversion factor that maintains unit consistency, ensuring that like units cancel out effectively.

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cwalker8184
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Convert 17,660 ft/min to mi/hr, ft= feet, min=minutes, mi=miles, hr=hours
I first divided 17,660 feet per minute by 5280 ft then divided that quantity by 60 minutes and got 0.06 miles per hour. What did I do wrong?
 
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cwalker8184 said:
Convert 17,660 ft/min to mi/hr, ft= feet, min=minutes, mi=miles, hr=hours
I first divided 17,660 feet per minute by 5280 ft then divided that quantity by 60 minutes and got 0.06 miles per hour. What did I do wrong?

When doing unit conversions, I find it best to keep multiplying by "1". You did the first part of the conversion correctly:

17,660 ft/min * (1 mile / 5280 ft) = 3.345 mile/min

But in the second part, what form of "1" should you multiply by to get to mile/hr?


EDIT -- Keep in mind that by multplying by "1", your goal is to cancel out like units on the top and bottom of the fraction...
 
always write it out before start keying into calculator.
 

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