20,000 pounds equals how many English tons?
A) 1 ton
B) 10 tons
Answer (2)
Identify the conversion factor: 1 English ton = 2240 pounds.
Divide the given weight in pounds by the conversion factor: 2240 20000 .
Calculate the result: 2240 20000 ≈ 8.93 English tons.
Choose the closest option: 10 tons
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given a weight of 20,000 pounds and asked to convert it to English tons. We need to know the conversion factor between pounds and English tons to solve this problem.
Stating the Conversion Factor The conversion factor is: 1 English ton = 2240 pounds. We will use this to convert pounds to English tons.
Setting up the Calculation To convert 20,000 pounds to English tons, we divide 20,000 by 2240: T = 2240 20000
Performing the Division Calculating the value: T = 2240 20000 = 8.928571428571429
Interpreting the Result Rounding to two decimal places, we get approximately 8.93 English tons. Since the question asks for how many English tons, we should look for the closest whole number if that is the expectation. However, since the options are 1 ton and 10 tons, and our calculated value is closer to 10 tons than 1 ton, we can infer that the question might be looking for an approximate answer. Since 8.93 is closer to 10 than to 1, we choose 10 tons as the answer.
Final Answer Therefore, 20,000 pounds is approximately equal to 10 English tons. The correct answer is B) 10 tons.
Examples
Imagine you're shipping goods from the UK (where English tons might be used) to the US (where US tons are standard). Knowing how to convert between pounds and English tons helps ensure you accurately calculate shipping costs and weight limits. For example, if a container is rated for 9 English tons, you need to convert that to pounds to ensure you don't exceed the limit when loading goods measured in pounds. This conversion ensures safe and efficient international trade and logistics.
20,000 pounds is approximately equal to 10 English tons after converting using the appropriate conversion factor of 1 English ton = 2240 pounds. Thus, the correct option is B) 10 tons.
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