Unit Conversion Troubleshooting: Identifying and Correcting Common Errors

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The discussion focuses on troubleshooting unit conversions, highlighting three specific examples that yielded incorrect results. The first conversion from light years per minute to SI units was miscalculated, with confusion about the original SI units. The second conversion from carats per cubic parsec to SI units was incorrect due to a misunderstanding of the carat-to-kilogram conversion factor. The third conversion from furlongs per fortnight to SI units mistakenly used the conversion factor twice and misinterpreted the time frame. Overall, attention to detail in unit definitions and conversion factors is crucial for accurate results.
badtwistoffate
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I have 3 unit conversions and they are not coming out right... what am I doing wrong if you can spot it:
1)1.64ly/min to SI Units:
1ly/min=697.5W/m^2
1144.6W/m^2 but how do you get it with just the oringinal SI units...


2)2.3E27carats/parsec^3 to SI:
2.3E27carats/parsec^3 * (1kg/.0002carats) *( 1 parsec^3/2.938e49 m^3) = 3.91E-19 but is nothing like what google says !


3)642 furlongs per fortnight to SI:
642 furlongs/fortnight * (201.2m/1furlong)*(1/[24*60*60])*(201.2m/1furlong)=.107m/s?
 
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Wait, light years/min? That's a unit of velocity and W/m^2 is a unit of intensity.
 
langleys/min
 
You want the units to be basic SI-units? Well, Watt is J/s and Joule is Nm and Newton is kg m/s^2.

You calculated the second one wrong. I got 1.566*10^(-26) kg/m^3. Pay attention to what you do when you change units. Remember that 1 carat = 0.0002 kg, not 1kg = 0.0002 carat.
 
badtwistoffate said:
642 furlongs per fortnight to SI:
642 furlongs/fortnight * (201.2m/1furlong)*(1/[24*60*60])*(201.2m/1furlong)=.107m/s?

That's just one day, not a fortnight.

And why twice 201.2m/1 furlong?
 
The book claims the answer is that all the magnitudes are the same because "the gravitational force on the penguin is the same". I'm having trouble understanding this. I thought the buoyant force was equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. Weight depends on mass which depends on density. Therefore, due to the differing densities the buoyant force will be different in each case? Is this incorrect?

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