A recipe calls for 3 quarts of broth. How many cups is that?
A6 cups
B8 cups
C12 cups
D16 cups
1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups, so 3 quarts = 3 × 4 = 12 cups. A common error is using the pints-per-quart conversion (2) instead of cups-per-quart (4), giving the wrong answer of 6.
Question 2 True / False
When you convert 5 feet into 60 inches, the actual length of the object has changed.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Converting units changes how a measurement is expressed, not the physical quantity itself. 5 feet and 60 inches describe the exact same length. This is one of the deepest ideas in measurement: a quantity exists independently of the unit used to describe it.
Question 3 Short Answer
You need to convert 2.5 pounds to ounces. Should you multiply or divide by 16, and why?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Multiply by 16. You are converting to a smaller unit (ounces are smaller than pounds), so more of them are needed to represent the same amount. 2.5 × 16 = 40 ounces.
The rule is: going to a smaller unit means multiplying (more pieces needed), going to a larger unit means dividing (fewer pieces needed). Since 1 pound = 16 ounces and ounces are smaller, you multiply.