When multiplying conversion factors, make sure the only remaining units are the desired units.
0.7 gal, 950 mL, 0.4 L, 1 14 c
Practice makes perfect
We are asked to order the following set of measures from greatest to least.
1 14c, 0.4 L, 950mL, 0.7gal
Let's start by expressing each measure in the same unit. In this case, we can write each measure in milliliters. First, we will express 1 14 cups in milliliters.
1 14c= mL
To do so, we will use the fact that 1 cup equals about 236.59 milliliters. Let's write this relationship as a unit ratio.
236.59 mL/1cTo perform the conversion, we need to multiply 1 14 cups by the unit ratio or its reciprocal. Remember, we want to arrange these ratios such that every unit we do not want gets canceled out and only the units that we want will remain.
We got that 1 14 cups is equal to about 295.7375 milliliters. Next, we will express 0.4 liter in milliliters.
0.4L= mL
In this case, we will use the fact that 1 liter equals 1000 milliliters. We can write this relationship as a unit ratio.
1000 mL/1L
Similar as before, we need to multiply 0.4 liter by the unit ratio or its reciprocal to perform the conversion. When multiplying conversion factors, we need to make sure the only remaining units are the desired units.
Therefore, 0.4 liter is equal to 400 milliliters. Finally, we will write 0.7 gallon in milliliters.
0.7gal= mL
Let's start by organizing the relationships between the units in a table.
Relationship
Unit Ratio
1gallon ≈ 3.79liters
3.79L/1gal
1liter = 1000milliliters
1000mL/1L
To perform this conversion, we need to multiply 0.7 gallon by each unit ratio or its reciprocal. Again, we want to arrange these ratios such that every unit we do not want gets canceled out and only the units that we want will remain.
We got that 0.7 gallon is equal to about 2653 milliliters. Now we can compare the measures.
295.7375 mL < 400 mL < 950mL < 2653 mL
↓
1 14c < 0.4 L < 950mL < 0.7gal
Finally, we will order the measures from greatest to least.
0.7gal, 950mL, 0.4 L, 1 14c
