How Much Water Fell on the City During the Storm?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the mass of water that fell on a city during a rainstorm, given the dimensions of the city and the amount of rainfall. The subject area includes concepts of volume, mass, and unit conversions related to density.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the volume of rainwater and convert it to mass, but encounters issues with unit conversions. Another participant questions the conversion of kilometers to centimeters.

Discussion Status

The discussion has revealed a misunderstanding regarding unit conversions, which has been acknowledged by the original poster. Some guidance has been provided in the form of clarifying the conversion factors needed for the calculations.

Contextual Notes

There is a focus on ensuring correct unit conversions, as the original poster's calculations were based on incorrect assumptions about the dimensions of the city. The problem is framed within the constraints of a homework assignment.

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Homework Statement


A violent rainstorm dumps 1.7 cm of rain on a city 4.0 km wide and 7.0 km long in a 2.0 hr period. How many metric tons of water fell on the city?

Homework Equations



1 ton = 10^3 kg
1 cm^3 of water has a mass of 1 g = 10^-3 kg.
Density of water is 1.0 g/cm^3

The Attempt at a Solution



Knowing that density of water is 1.0 g/cm^3...

I first calculated the volume, which is v = (1.7 cm) (4000 cm) (7000 cm) = 4.76E7 cm^3. To get the mass in metric tons, I did the following: mass = (4.76E7 cm^3) (1 g/cm^3) (1 kg / 1 000 g) (1 metric ton / 1000 kg) = 47.6 metric tons.

When I entered it into the computer, it said it was incorrect. Please help!
 
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If 1 metre = 100 cm and 1 km = 1000 m, then 4.0 km = how many cm??
And for 7.0 km??
 
Wow. Thanks, man. I messed up the conversion factor. No wonder why I keep getting it wrong. lol Thanks again! I don't know how I could have missed that!
 
Last edited:
Finally got it!
 

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