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Ch 01: Units, Physical Quantities & Vectors
Young & Freedman Calc - University Physics 14th Edition
Young & Freedman Calc14th EditionUniversity PhysicsISBN: 9780321973610Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 1, Problem 8

While driving in an exotic foreign land, you see a speed limit sign that reads 180,000 furlongs per fortnight. How many miles per hour is this?

Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the units involved: A furlong is a unit of distance, and a fortnight is a unit of time. We need to convert furlongs per fortnight to miles per hour.
Convert furlongs to miles: 1 furlong is equal to 1/8 of a mile. Therefore, to convert furlongs to miles, divide the number of furlongs by 8.
Convert fortnights to hours: A fortnight is equal to 14 days. Since there are 24 hours in a day, multiply 14 by 24 to get the total number of hours in a fortnight.
Calculate miles per hour: Use the conversion factors from the previous steps to convert 180,000 furlongs per fortnight to miles per hour. Divide the converted distance in miles by the converted time in hours.
Verify the conversion: Double-check the calculations to ensure that the conversion from furlongs per fortnight to miles per hour is accurate.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another set of units. It involves using conversion factors, which are ratios that express how many of one unit are equivalent to another. In this problem, converting furlongs per fortnight to miles per hour requires understanding and applying the appropriate conversion factors for furlongs to miles and fortnights to hours.
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Unit Conversions

Furlong

A furlong is a unit of distance used in the imperial system, primarily in horse racing. It is equal to 1/8 of a mile or 220 yards. Understanding the length of a furlong is crucial for converting the speed limit from furlongs to miles, as it provides the necessary conversion factor to translate the given speed into a more familiar unit of distance.

Fortnight

A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days or two weeks. It is not commonly used in modern timekeeping but is essential for this problem to convert the speed limit from a time frame of fortnights to hours. Knowing the length of a fortnight allows for the calculation of how many hours are in a fortnight, facilitating the conversion to miles per hour.