Version 01

The Imperial System

Apprenticeship and Workplace
Mathematics
(Grade 10/Literacy Foundations Level 7)
© 2012 by Open School BC

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Course History
New, March 2012

Project Partners
This course was developed in partnership with the Distributed Learning Resources Branch of Alberta
Education and the following organizations:
• Black Gold Regional Schools
• Calgary Board of Education
• Edmonton Public Schools
• Peace Wapiti School Division No. 76
• Pembina Hills Regional Division No. 7
• Rocky View School Division No. 41
Project Management: Jennifer Riddel, Shannon Mitchell
Content Revisions: Jennifer Riddel
Edit: Leanne Baugh
Math Edit: Learning Centre of the Greater Victoria School District Continuing Education
Program:
• Nigel Cocking
• Keith Myles
• Bill Scott
Module Tests: Barb Lajeunesse, Michael Finnigan (SD 34)
Copyright: Ilona Ugro
Production Technicians: Sharon Barker, Beverly Carstensen, Brian Glover
Art Coordination: Christine Ramkeesoon
Media Coordination: Janet Bartz
Art: Cal Jones
Flash Programming: Sean Cunniam
Narration Recording: MOH Productions and Neil Osborne
Voice Talent: Felix LeBlanc, Kate Eldridge, Wendy Webb and MOH Productions
Advisors: JD Caudle (Yukon Territory), Randy Decker (SD 40), Bev Fairful (Yukon Territory), Sonya
Fern (SD 62), Sandra Garfinkel (SD 39), Richard Giroday (SD 58), Sharon Hann (SD 39), Tim
Huttemann (SD 20), Dan Laidlaw (SD 73), Heather Lessard (SD 53), Gloria Lowe (SD 6), Jan Malcolm
(SD 36), Christina Teskey (OSBC), Jennifer Waughtal (SD 57), Ray Wong (SD 91)
 

Table of Contents
Section Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V

The Imperial System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Lesson A: Length. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Lesson B: Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Lesson C: Volume and Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Lesson D: Mass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Lesson E: Temperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Data Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
The Imperial System—Activity Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | iii

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 Section Organization

Section Organization
This section on The Imperial System is made up of several lessons.

Lessons
Lessons have a combination of reading and hands-on activities to give you a
chance to process the material while being an active learner. Each lesson is made
up of the following parts:

Essential Questions
The essential questions included here are based on the main concepts in
each lesson. These help you focus on what you will learn in the lesson.

Focus
This is a brief introduction to the lesson.

Get Started
This is a quick refresher of the key information and skills you will need to be
successful in the lesson.

Activities
Throughout the lesson you will see three types of activities:

• Try This activities are hands-on, exploratory activities.

• Self-Check activities provide practice with the skills and

concepts recently taught.

• Mastering Concepts activities extend and apply the skills you

learned in the lesson.

You will mark these activities using the solutions at the end of each section.

Explore
Here you will explore new concepts, make predictions, and discover patterns.

Bringing Ideas Together

This is the main teaching part of the lesson. Here, you will build on the ideas
from the Get Started and the Explore. You will expand your knowledge and
practice your new skills.

Lesson Summary
This is a brief summary of the lesson content as well as some instructions on
what to do next.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | v

Section Organization

At the end of each section you will find:

Solutions
This contains all of the solutions to the Activities.

Appendix
Here you will find the Data Pages along with other extra resources that you need
to complete the section. You will be directed to these as needed.

Glossary
This is a list of key terms and their definitions.

Throughout the section, you will see the following features:

Icons
Throughout the section you will see a few icons used on the left-hand side of
the page. These icons are used to signal a change in activity or to bring your
attention to important instructions.

AWM online resource (optional)

This indicates a resource available on the internet. If you do not have
access, you may skip these sections.

Solutions

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 Section Organization

My Notes
The column on the outside edge of most pages is called “My Notes”. You can use
this space to:

• write questions about things you don’t understand.

• note things that you want to look at again.

• draw pictures that help you understand the math.

• identify words that you don’t understand.

• connect what you are learning to what you already know.

• make your own notes or comments.

Materials and Resources

There is no textbook required for this course.

You will be expected to have certain tools and materials at your disposal while
working on the lessons. When you begin a lesson, have a look at the list of items
you will need. You can find this list on the first page of the lesson, right under the
lesson title.

In general, you should have the following things handy while you work on your
lessons:
• a scientific calculator
• a ruler
• a geometry set
• Data Pages (found in the appendix)

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | vii

 The Imperial System

The Imperial System

Canada is a trading nation with strong links to its past. It is a member of the British
Commonwealth and, until the latter half of the twentieth century, used the system
of weights and measures that evolved in Britain. This system is known as the
imperial system. You likely recognize many units from this system such as the foot,
yard, and mile, the acre, the gallon, the pound, and degrees Fahrenheit. Canada’s
largest trading partner, the United States, still uses a modified form of the imperial
system. American standard units and imperial units are still used in Canada in
many of the trades. Carpenters, plumbers, and mechanics, to name a few, must be
familiar with metric and imperial units.

Photo by Maisei Raman © 2010

In this section you will:

• describe the relationships of the units of length, area, volume, capacity, mass
and temperature in the imperial system.
• compare the American and British imperial units.
• convert between imperial and SI units.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 1

 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Lesson A
Length
To complete this lesson, you will need: In this lesson, you will complete:
• a ruler or a tape measure that shows • 8 activities
inches
• the Data Pages found in the appendix

Essential Questions

• How are lengths and distances commonly measured in the imperial system?

• How are the units of the imperial system related to each other?

• length and distance be converted between the imperial and metric systems?

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 3

The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

My Notes Focus

Have you thought about a career in the construction trades? Many

trades still work with feet (ft or ’) and inches (in or ”)—part of the
imperial system of weights and measures.

Photo by Paul Matthew Photography © 2010

Did You Know?

The imperial system of weights and measures was first
defined in 1824—less than 200 years ago!

If you talk to framing carpenters, they will point out that interior
drywall and exterior sheeting commonly used throughout North
America is manufactured in 4-ft × 8-ft lengths.

Drywall and sheeting are screwed to vertical posts called studs.

Framing carpenters must carefully measure the horizontal distances
between studs so the ends of the sheeting or drywall fall in the
middle of the studs and can be screwed on securely. Do you know
how far apart vertical studs are in a new home?

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Get Started My Notes

In ancient times, people used parts of their bodies as units of measure.

In Ancient Egypt, the cubit was a unit of measure based on the
length of one’s forearm. One cubit is equal to the distance from your
elbow to the tip of your middle finger. In the next activity you will
look at how thumb-widths and foot-lengths can be used to measure
distances.

Activity 1
Try This
In the past, common units of measure were the length of a person’s
foot and, for smaller measures, the width of a person’s thumb just
below the nail. On a sheet of paper, carefully trace your foot. (Save
your tracing. You will use it again later in this lesson.)

1. How many thumb-widths long is the tracing of your foot?

2. What fraction of your traced foot is your thumb width?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

My Notes Fractions in the Imperial System

Since the size of feet and thumbs differs from person to person,
standard lengths must be set in order for measurements to be
Why is it important consistent. Common units of length in the imperial system are the
to have consistency standard foot and the inch.
within a system of
measurement? Did you find that your foot was about 12 thumbs in width, and each
1
thumb was of a foot?
12
To work with lengths in the imperial system, you will need to polish
your skills in adding and subtracting fractions. Please take a look at
the following example.

Example 1
Add the following fractions:
3 5
+
4 8

Solution The common

denominator is 8.
3 5 3×2 5
+ = +
4 8 4×2 8
6 5 Leave the denominators the
= +
8 8 same, and add the numerators.
11
=
8 This is an improper fraction. Change it
3 8
to a mixed number. Remember, 1=
=1 8
8

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Activity 2 My Notes

Self-Check
Complete the following operations.

3 7
1. +1 =
8 16

1 3
2. 2 − =
2 4

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

Explore

In this lesson you will use a ruler or tape measure with inches
marked. By studying these markings on a ruler, you can learn to use
your ruler to measure lengths properly.

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

My Notes Activity 3
Try This
Have a look at your ruler or tape measure. Examine the lines that are
marked on the ruler showing inches and parts of inches. What do all
those lines mean? The longest vertical lines on the ruler are located
every whole inch. These lines are at 1 in, 2 in, 3 in, and so on.

Now, have a look at the graphic below. It shows a close-up of a ruler

with some of the divisions labeled.

Inches 1 2 3 4
A B C

1. What do the second-longest lines (labeled A on the ruler) mark?

2. What fraction do the third-longest lines (labeled B on the ruler)

mark?

3. What do the next shorter lines (line C on the ruler) mark?

Notice: the shorter the line, the smaller the fraction of an inch
it represents. As the lengths of the lines decrease, each measure
1
is   of the previous measure.
2

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

4. State each measure to the nearest fraction of an inch.

My Notes

a.
Inches 1 2 3 4 5

b.
Inches 1 2 3 4 5

c.
Inches 1 2 3 4 5

d.
Inches 1 2 3 4 5

5. Use your ruler or tape measure to measure four items of your

choice. Use the lines on your ruler or tape measure to be as precise
as you can be.

Item Measured Measurement

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

My Notes Bringing Ideas Together

In Get Started you discovered that there are about 12 thumb widths
in a foot length. The ancient Romans also divided their foot measure
into 12 parts. The word inch comes from the Latin word uncia, which
means “a 12th part”.

Did You Know?

In some languages the same word is used for thumb and
inch. For example, in French, the word for both thumb
and inch is pouce.

Working with Inches

In the imperial system, inches are divided into fractional parts. You
saw in Activity 3 that inches can be divided into halves, quarters,
eighths, sixteenths and thirty-secondths. To work within the imperial
system, it is important to be able to perform operations on these
fractions. Let’s look at an example.

Example 2
John and his mother are finishing their basement. For the outside
walls, they plan to use two-by-four framing lumber.
1 1
Two-by-four framing lumber actually measures just 1 in × 3 in.
2 2
3
The lumber is to be covered with gypsum board measuring in.
8
How thick will this added layer of the wall be?

1” 1”
Framing lumber 1 ×3
Top View 2 2
3”
Gypsum wallboard thick
8

Addition
Existing concrete wall

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Solution
1 1 My Notes
A two-by-four is actually 1 ” by 3 ”.
2 2
1 3
The total thickness of the framing lumber and wallboard is 3 + .
2 8
These fractions can be added using a ruler.

Start at 3 1 3
2 “ and move 8 ” to the right.

Inches 1 2 3 4
The total thickness is 3 7
8 ”.

Alternatively, you could add the fractions using pencil and paper:

1 3 1× 4 3
3 + =3 +
2 8 2 ×4 8 The common
4 3 denominator is 8.
=3 +
8 8
7
=3
8
7
The total thickness of the framing lumber and wallboard is 3 inches.
8

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

My Notes Activity 4
Self-Check
Pat wants to plane some wood
off the width of a two-by-six.
1
If a two-by-six is 5 in wide,
2
determine what the finished
width would be if:
3”
a. is planed off.
16

Photo by Uwe Bumann © 2010

5”
b. is planed off.
32

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Feet and Inches My Notes

At the beginning of this lesson you traced your foot. Retrieve your
tracing and measure it using your ruler or tape measure. How long, in
inches, is your foot?

Answer:

In the imperial system, there are 12 inches in a standard foot.

1 ft = 12 in
or
1
1 in = ft
12
Let’s try converting between these units.

Example 3
An Iroquois longhouse was 79'11" long. What was the length of the
longhouse in inches?

Solution
1 ft = 12 in

So,
79 ft = (79 ×12 ) in
= 948 in

79’ 11” = 79 ft 11 in
= 948 in + 11 in
= 959 in

The Iroquois longhouse was 959 inches long.

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Example 4
My Notes
Meilin is 53 in tall. What is her height in feet and inches?

Solution
Remember, 12 in = 1 ft.

Divide 53 by 12 to get the number of feet.

53
53 in = ft
12
= 4.416 ft

She is more than 4 ft tall—but how much more?

4 ft = 4 (12) in
= 48 in

4 feet is the same as 48 inches. How many more inches is 53 in?

53 in – 48 in = 5 in

So,
53 in = 48 in + 5 in
= 4 ft + 5 in
= 4 ' 5"

Meilin is 4' 5" tall.

Note: In this example, a calculator was used to do the division. If long

division were used, the quotient would be the number of feet and the
remainder would be the number of inches.

4 quotient = # of feet
)
12 53
48
5 remainder = # of inches

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Activity 5 My Notes

Self-Check
Please answer the questions below.

1. One of the tallest women in the world is De-Fen Yao. She is 93 in

tall. How tall is she in feet and inches?

3
2. The 2008 women’s Olympic record in pole vaulting is 16’ 6 ” .
4
What is this record in inches?

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

3. Janice is cutting 1’3” off a 7’ board. After the cut, what is the
My Notes
length of the board in feet and inches?

4. Add 5’7”, 3’4”, and 6’5”.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

More Imperial Units of Length My Notes

For distances too long to measure with inches or feet, yards and
miles are the imperial units used.

The word yard comes from the Old English word, gyrd, for stick. A
yard is about the width of a front door, or the distance from your
nose to the tips of your fingers when you stretch your arm to the side.

If you’ve ever been to the United States, you may have seen road
signs posted in miles. A mile is longer than a kilometre. A speed of
100 km/h is about 60 mph.

Did You Know?

The mile originated in Ancient Rome. In Rome, two steps
were called a passus. A passus was about five feet. One
thousand passus was the Roman mile. The English word
mile comes from the Latin word mille, which means 1000.
About how many steps is a mile? 1 passus = 2 steps, so
1000 passus = 2000 steps—a good approximation, even
today, for the mile!

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

My Notes Activity 6
Try This
The multimedia Imperial System Length Conversion can be
used to convert one unit of length in the imperial system to
another unit. Move the left slider according to the unit you are
starting with and the right slider to the units you are
converting to.

If you have access, you may use Imperial System Length

Conversion (http://media.openschool.bc.ca/osbcmedia/math/
mathawm10/html/implengthconvert/lengthImpConvert.htm) to
help summarize the conversion equivalents used so far in this
lesson.

Use Imperial System Length Conversion to fill in the blanks:

1 mi = yd

1 yd = ft

1 ft = in

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

Conversions
You’ve already had some practice converting between feet and
inches. In the next examples you’ll see two calculation methods for
converting between units. If you already have a method that you like
to use, feel free to use it!

Example 5
Jack’s driveway is 57 ft long. What is that distance in yards?

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Solution
My Notes
Method 1—Using Proportions
First, write a proportion with the question information on one side
and the conversion information on the other side.

Let n be the distance in yards.

Make sure the units in the

numerators are the same.
n 1 yd
=
57 ft 3 ft
Make sure the units in the
denominators are the same.

n 1 yd
= Find the cross products
57 ft 3 ft
to solve the proportion.

n (3 ft ) = (1 yd )(57 ft) Divide by 3 to

(1 yd)(57 ft ) get n by itself.
n=
(3 ft )
n = 19 yd

Jack’s driveway is 19 yd long.

Method 2—Multiplying or Dividing by a Conversion Factor

You may have noticed in the solution above, that you could have
simply divided by 3 to get the answer. In this case, since 1 yd = 3 ft, 3
is the conversion factor.

57 ft = yards The conversion factor is 3. You divide

= (57 ÷ 3) yd because yards are bigger than feet so
= 19 yd there will be less of them.

Jack’s driveway is 19 yd long.

You can see that you’ll get the same answer with both methods.
Whichever method you use, make sure to show your work!

You can find a list of conversion factors on your Data Pages. Get yours
now and have a look. You’ll find the Data Pages in the Appendix at
the end of the section. Keep this handy as you go through the rest of
the lesson.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 19

The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Example 6
My Notes
Convert 4400 yards to miles.

Method 1—Using Proportions

Let x be the number of miles in 4400 yards.

4400 yards 1760 yards

=
x 1 mi
x (1760) = 4400 (1 mi)

(4400 yd)(1 mi)

x=
1760 yd
There should be fewer miles
x = 2.5 mi
because they are bigger, so this
answer is reasonable.

Method 2—Multiplying or Dividing by a Conversion Factor

4400 yd = _____ mi The conversion factor is

= (4400 ÷ 1760 ) yd 1760. You divide because
miles are bigger than yards so
= 2.5 mi
there will be less of them.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Activity 7 My Notes

Self-Check
Please complete the questions below. Choose whichever conversion
method you like, or try them both!

1. On golf courses, white tees are placed a little closer to the green
than the blue tees. If you are playing from the white tees, the
Mountain View Golf Course in Whitehorse, Yukon, is 6114 yd
long. How many miles long is that length? Round your answer to
the nearest tenth of a mile.

2. Marcie is driving to her friend’s farm. Her friend’s father said their
house was a quarter mile off the main road. How many yards off
the main road does Marcie’s friend live?

3. A quarter section of land is a square one-half mile on each side.

How many feet of fencing would be needed to fence a quarter
section?

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

4. A Canadian Football League field is 110 yd from goal line to goal

My Notes
line. How many feet is 110 yd?

5. Barbara is fencing a quarter mile of pasture on her farm. If she

decides to use three strands of barbed wire, how many feet of wire
will she need altogether?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Converting Between Imperial and Metric Units My Notes

While the metric system is standard in Canada, the imperial system is
still used in the United States. Many Canadians travel to the United
States and many businesses trade goods and services across the border.
For these reasons, and others, it is important to be able to translate
between the metric and imperial systems.

Take out your ruler or tape measure. Does it have both imperial and
metric measurements marked? If so, answer the following questions.

How many centimetres are there in an inch?

Answer:

How many centimetres are there in a foot?

Answer:

The modern inch is about 2.54 cm in length. Since there are 12

inches in one foot, there are (12 × 2.54) cm, or 30.48 cm in a foot.

Have a look at the “Table of Conversions” in your Data Pages. You The Data Pages
will see that this table lists the conversion factors to use to convert can be found in the
between the metric and imperial systems. Appendix.

The process of converting between units of different systems is the

same as when you were working within a single system. Simply use
the “Table of Conversions” along with whichever calculation method
you prefer. We’ll do one example before moving to the Activity.

Example 7
While travelling in the United States you see a sign that says the next
gas station is 110 miles away. You look at your fuel gauge and know
you have enough gas left for about 150 km. Do you stop now for gas,
or do you continue driving?

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Solution
My Notes
Method 1 – Using Proportions
Look at the “Table of Conversions” on your Data Pages. Find the
conversion you need.

1 mi = 1.6 km

Now set up your proportion.

Let x be the distance in

kilometres.
Photo by Tselichtchev © 2010

Remember to keep the

110 mi 1 mi same units on the top!
=
x 1.6 km
x (1 mi) = (110 mi)(1.6 km) Notice that you are
multiplying by 1.6
(110 mi )(1.6
6 km)
x=
1 mi
This answer is reasonable.
x = 176 km
Kilometres are smaller than miles so
there should be more kilometres.

Since you only have enough gas to drive 150 km, you should stop
and fill up your tank now, otherwise you won’t make it to the next
gas station!

Method 2—Multiplying or Dividing by a Conversion Factor

Look at the “Table of Conversions” on your Data Pages. Find the
conversion you need.

1 mi = 1.6 km

Now calculate. The conversion factor is 1.6. You

multiply because kilometres are smaller
110 mi = _____ km
than miles so there will be more of them.
= (110 ×1.6) km
= 176 km
Using this method, you get the same answer—you should stop for
gas now!

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Activity 8 My Notes

Self-Check
Please answer the following questions. You may use the Data Pages.

1. A television screen measures 21 in on the diagonal. How many

centimetres is the screen’s diagonal?

2. Jack is 6 ft 2 in tall. What is his height to the nearest centimetre?

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The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

3. The distance from Michael’s house to the Red Pheasant First

My Notes
Nation is 12.3 km. How far is this distance in miles? Round your
answer to 1 decimal place.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

 here are many online tools that you can use to make
T
conversions quickly and easily. Visit the AWM Website (http://
www.openschool.bc.ca/courses/math/awm10) for links to some
of these tools.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson A: Length

Lesson Summary My Notes

Building a new home means

reading, interpreting, and
applying an architect’s
plans. Framing carpenters
must make careful
measurements so everything
fits together properly as
intended. Measurements,
even in modern
construction, are often made
using the imperial system. Photo by Fever Pitch © 2010

In this lesson you discovered that the common units of length in the
imperial system are the inch, foot, yard, and mile. You examined how
they are applied in situations and how one unit can be converted
to another. You also converted between the metric and imperial
measurement systems.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 27

 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Lesson B
Area
To complete this lesson, you will need: In this lesson, you will complete:
• a ruler that shows feet and inches • 8 activities
• a tape measure that shows feet and
inches
• newspapers
• scissors
• a marker
• a calculator
• the Data Pages found in the appendix

Essential Questions

• How are areas commonly measured in the imperial system?

• How are the units of area related?

• How can you convert between these units and area units in the SI (metric)
system?

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 29

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes Focus

Have you ever taken on, or helped out with, a renovation or

redecoration project? Have you installed new flooring or new carpets?

If you’ve been to a carpet

outlet, you may have noticed
that the price is often quoted
by both the square metre
and the square yard. The
price per square yard is often
featured more prominently
because it looks cheaper. A
square yard is smaller than
a square metre, so the price
Photo by Lepas © 2010
per square yard is less than
the price per square metre. However, it doesn’t matter if you pay per
square yard or per square foot—the cost to carpet a certain area (like
your bedroom, for example) will be the same.

Get Started

Which do you find easier—converting among units within the SI

(metric) system or in the imperial system? Why?

Most people find converting among units within the SI system easier.
To convert among SI units, you just have to move the decimal to
the left or right. SI units are defined in terms of powers of ten! But
to convert among imperial units, you have to multiply or divide by
numbers different from 10; for example, to convert miles to feet, you
must multiply by 5280.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Most people use a calculator to convert among imperial measures.

My Notes
However, it is easy to make a mistake keying in the numbers or
operations. To check if the answer your calculator displays is
reasonable, you must use your estimation skills and a little mental
arithmetic. These are skills you will use throughout your life—on the
job, shopping, or around the home.

The next example may help you recall estimation skills you
developed in previous math courses.

Example 1
Estimate the number of inches in 19 ft. Then calculate the exact
answer carefully with a calculator to see if your estimate is reasonably
accurate.

Solution
19 ft = (19 × 12) in

To estimate, round each number to the nearest ten.

19 rounds to 20 because 19 is closer to 20 than 10.

12 rounds to 10 because 12 is closer to 10 than 20.

So, 19 × 12 is about 20 × 10 or 200. In 19 ft, there are about 200 in.

This estimate makes sense since the exact answer is 228 in!

This example illustrates how you can estimate products quickly in

your head. First round each number so there is only one digit that is
not zero. Then multiply the rounded values together. You can use this
skill in the next activity, and throughout this course.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 31

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes Activity 1
Try This
Below, you will find a sample of a student’s solution to a math
problem. The student’s solution contains an error! In this activity, you
will read carefully through the solution and answer the questions that
follow it.

Problem:
Convert 39 miles to a distance in yards.

Student Solution:

let x = the distance in yard s

x 1760 yd
=
39 mi 1 mi
x(11 mi ) = (1760 yd )(39 mi )
(1760 yd )(39 mi )
x=
(1 mi )
x = 29 640 yd

39 miles is equal to 29 640 yards

1. Where did the student make his or her mistake?

2. Estimate the correct answer.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

3. What is the exact answer?

My Notes

4. How could estimation have helped this student recognize their

error?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

Is Your Answer Reasonable?

Often estimation is used to determine a product to save you finding
the exact product with your calculator or with a long-hand method.
But while you are developing your estimation skills, you can use the
exact answer to confirm that you are estimating correctly. Calculating
the exact answer allows you to confirm that your estimation skills are
in good shape.

Once you have developed confidence in your estimation skills, you

can use your estimated answers to judge whether a calculated answer
is reasonable.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 33

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes Activity 2
Try This
First, estimate the product and write down your estimate. Then use a
calculator to find the exact answer. Compare your estimates with the
answers shown on the calculator.

1. 31 × 5280

2. 480 × 12

3. 13 × 27

4. 162.5 × 144

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Explore My Notes

In the Imperial System, area can be

measured in square inches, square
feet, and square yards.

How do the square inch, square

foot, and square yard compare with
each other in size? That’s what you
will investigate next.
Photo by Filaphoto © 2010

Activity 3
Try This
You will need a ruler
and a tape measure that
shows feet and inches,
old newspapers, scissors, a
marker, a calculator, and
your estimation skills!

From an old newspaper,

cut out at least 13
identical squares. Each
Photo by R. Cherubin © 2010

square must measure one

foot on each side, so be
sure to use your ruler! 12”
Each of these squares is
one square foot.

With your marker, write

the words square foot on
each square.

Next arrange as many

12”
of these squares as is
necessary to form a large
square three feet on each side.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 35

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

1. a. How many square feet are there in your arrangement?

My Notes

b. What might you call this large square area? (Hint: 3 ft = 1 yd)

Now you’ll need one of the

square feet. From the corner
of the square foot, cut a
small square that measures
one inch on each side. This
small square is one square
inch.
1”

1”

2. a. How many square inches are there in a square foot? (Hint: you
may need to draw on your square foot.)

b. How did you arrive at your answer?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Bringing Ideas Together My Notes

3 ft

1 yd2 3 ft

12 in

1 ft2 12 in
1 in
2

You have discovered that the squares having a side length of an inch,
foot, or yard can be used as units of area. The related area units are
square inch, square foot, and square yard.

In Explore you discovered:

• A foot is 12 in long, so the area of a square foot is

12 in × 12 in = 144 in2.
So, 1 ft2 = 144 in2.

• A yard is 3 ft long, so the area of a square yard is

3 ft × 3 ft = 9 ft2.
So, 1 yd2 = 9 ft2.

Example 2
A wigwam, which is a semicircular structure originally made by First
Nations out of young tree saplings, has an interior close to the shape
of a rectangle. The interior is 12 ft by 9 ft 3 in.

a. What is the area of the wigwam in square feet? Estimate your

answer first and then calculate the exact answer.

b. What is the area of the wigwam in square yards?

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 37

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes If you have internet access, you can also view the animated
Area of a Wigwam Solution (http://media.openschool.bc.ca/
osbcmedia/math/mathawm10/html/area_of_wigwam.htm)
as an animation.

Part a: Estimation
Round 9 ft 3 in → 9 ft

l × w = 12 ft2 × 9 ft
The actual answer should be slightly bigger,
= 108 ft2
since 9 ft 3 in was reduced to 9 ft.

Part b: Exact Calculation

A=l×w

Convert 9 feet 3 inches into feet only. Remember that one foot has
12 inches.

1 ft = 12 in

So 3 inches is 3/12th of a foot.

A=l×w
3
9 ft 3 in = 9 ft + ft
12

Substitute the values for length and width into the formula:

A=l×w
3
= 12 ft × 9 ft
12
Solve for Area:

3
A = 12 ft x 9 ft
12
36 2
= 108 ft 2 + ft
12
Remember that you multiply 12 × 9 to get 108 square feet.

3
A = 12 ft x 9 ft
12
36 2
= 108 ft 2 + ft
12

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

3 ths 36 My Notes
Then you multiply 12 by to get .
12 12
36
is equal to 3: A = 108 ft 2 + 3 ft 2
12 = 111 ft 2

So the area of the wigwam equals 111 square feet.

You can also use your calculator for this problem. If you use your
calculator, you’ll get rid of the fractions by dividing.

Alternative Calculator Method

3
9 ft 3 ft = 9 ft + ft
12
= 9 ft + 0.25 ft
= 9.25 ft
A = l×w
= 12 ft + 9.25 ft
= 111 ft 2

You may have noticed that the second method uses decimals.
Generally, decimals are not used in imperial units of length and area;
fractions are more commonly used. We have included the second
method because there are times when using decimals makes the
calculation easier. Please make sure you understand both methods
before moving on.

Example 3
Dawn bought wallpaper for her bedroom. The roll of wallpaper is 
1
20 in wide. Dawn’s walls are 8 ft high. She plans to cover the walls
2
in vertical strips from floor to ceiling. What is the area that can be
covered with one vertical strip of wallpaper?

Estimate first to predict an answer that would make sense.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 39

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Solution
My Notes
Estimate first.
1
20 inches is just less than 24 in or 2 ft.
2
An 8-ft strip, which is 2 ft wide, covers 8 ft × 2 ft or 16 ft2.
Now use your calculator to determine the area more precisely.
1 ! 1 $
20 in = ###20 ÷ 12&&& ft Dividing by 12 is the same
2 " 2 % 1
as multiplying by .
! 1 1 $& 12
= ##20 ' && ft
#" 2 12 %
Change the mixed number
! 41 1 $&
= ### ' && ft to an improper fraction.
" 2 12 %
41 Since we need to complete another operation
= ft
24 with this fraction, leave it as an improper fraction.

Now, find the area that can be covered with one strip of wallpaper.
Since A = l × w ,
8
41 8=
= ft × 8ft 1
24
41 81
= ft × ft Simplify
24 3 1
41 1
= ft × ft
3 1 Change the improper
41 2 fraction to a mixed number
= ft
3
2 2
= 13 ft 2 Each strip of wallpaper covers 13 ft 2
3 3

Alternate solution using decimal values:

1
You must first convert 20 in to feet.
2
1 Divide 20.5 by 12
width = 20 in
2 on your calculator.
= 1.708333... ft

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Hint: Leave this answer on your calculator display.

My Notes
Since A = l × w,
Multiply the answer on
= 1.708333... ft × 8 ft
your calculator by 8.
= 13.67 ft2

Each strip of wallpaper covers about 13.67 ft2.

Tip
When you do calculations involving multiple steps using your
calculator, do not round the result unless it is the final answer to
a question. If you need to use this value in subsequent steps, wait
until you have reached the final answer before rounding.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 41

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes Activity 4
Self-Check
Please complete the questions that follow. Show all of your work. You
may use the Data Pages.

1. Jasper wants to install parquet

flooring in his kitchen. A
parquet floor is a floor made
of flat pieces of wood arranged
in a pattern. Jasper sees an
advertisement in a flyer that
quotes prices per square foot.
How many square feet will he
need if the floor is a rectangle
10 ft 9 in × 11 ft 6 in?
Photo by Baloncici © 2010

2. A sheet of printer paper is 8.5 in × 11 in. Darcy says it is almost

1 ft2. Is he correct? Explain your answer.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

3. Paula purchased a new home 1260 ft2 in area. What is its area in
My Notes
square yards?

4. Boris’s front lawn is a rectangle measuring 50 ft by 30 ft. He

purchased a fall fertilizer that must be applied at a rate of 6 lb per
1000 ft2. How many pounds of fertilizer should he apply?

5. The sole of each of Norma’s shoes is 36 in2 in area. When Norma

stands with both feet flat on the floor, what is the total area in
square feet that the shoes cover?

6. How many square inches are there in 1 yd2?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 43

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes Beyond the Square Yard

Do you remember the units used in the SI (metric) system for
describing larger areas such as the area of a field or even the area of a
province?

In the metric system, the hectare and square kilometre are used to
describe large areas.

In the imperial system the acre and square mile are used to describe
areas too large to be easily described by the square foot or square yard.

Did You Know?

The acre was originally defined as the area of a field that could
be plowed by a single ox in one day. The word acre comes
from the Old English word aecer, meaning field.

Photo by Kurt De Bruyn © 2010

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

In the last half of the nineteenth century, surveyors mapped Western

My Notes
Canada. The land was divided into squares that measured 6 miles on
a side. These large squares were called townships.

6 miles 1 township = 32 mi2

1 section

1 quarter section

6 miles

A square mile was called a section, so there were 36 sections in a

township. Each section was divided into quarters, or quarter sections.
Each quarter section was one-half mile by one-half mile. These
quarter sections were parcelled out as homesteads. Each quarter
section was 160 acres in size. An acre, an imperial area measurement,
is a square that measures approximately 70 yards on a side.

Today, you can see evidence

of this survey from the air.
North-south roads in the
country are 1 mile apart.
East-west roads are 2 miles
apart. Seen from the air, the
roads divide the countryside
into rectangles measuring
1 mile by 2 miles in size.
Each of these rectangles is
two sections.
Photo by Fedorov Oleksiy © 2010

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 45

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Example 4
My Notes
An American football field is 360 ft by 160 ft. Is its area much smaller
than, roughly the same as, or much larger than one acre?

Solution
Compare the area of the football
field to an acre, 4840 yd2.

area of field = l × w
= 360 ft × 160 ft
= 57 600 ft2

Convert this area to square yards.

Recall, that 1 yd2 = 9 ft2.
! 57 600 $& 2
area of field = ### & yd
" 9 &%
= 6400 yd2

An American football field is

roughly one acre in area.

In fact, it is 1.3 times larger than

an acre as you can see from this
calculation: Photo by Brocreative © 2010

Divide 6400 by 4840

Area of American football field in sq yds 6400
= on your calculator.
Area off one acre in sq yds 4840
≈ 1.3

 ou can use the interactive multimedia Imperial System Area

Y
Conversion (http://media.openschool.bc.ca/osbcmedia/math/
mathawm10/html/impareaconvert/lengthImpConvert.htm) to
confirm the solution to the previous example.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Activity 5 My Notes

Self-Check
Please complete the following problems.

1. There are 160 ac in a quarter section. How many acres are there in
a section that is 1 mi2 in area?

2. When the Doukhobors immigrated to Canada from Russia

in 1899, they were granted 773 400 ac for their farms and
communities in what is now Saskatchewan and Manitoba. What is
the area of this land grant in square miles?

3. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in

2009, American farmers planted 320.9 million acres of principal
crops. What is this acreage in square miles?

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 47

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

4. Using your answer from Question 3, how long would the sides of
My Notes
a square be that enclosed 320.9 million acres? Express your answer
to the nearest mile.
Hint: How do you find the side length of any square from its
area? For example, what is the side length of a square having
an area of 9 mi2?
The side length of any square is the square root of its area.
Since 9 = 3 , each side of the square is 3 mi long.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

Converting Between Metric and Imperial

It is often necessary to convert between area measurements in the SI
(metric) and imperial systems.

Example 5
How many square centimeters fit in one square inch?

Solution This comes from the “Table of

1 in = 2.54 cm Conversions” in your Data Pages.

1 in 2 = 1 in ×1 in
= 2.54 cm × 2.54 cm
= 6.4516 cm2

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Remember that when you were working with linear measurements,

My Notes
you used the “Table of Conversions” in your Data Pages to help
convert between the SI (metric) and imperial measurement systems.
As you will see in the next questions, you can create your own table
for area measurements.

Activity 6
Self-Check
Complete the following tables. Round to 4 decimal places when
necessary. Two rows in each table have been done for you.

1. Imperial Metric

1 in2 6.4516 cm2

1 ft2 m2

1 yd2 m2

1 ac 0.4047 ha

1 mi2 km2

2. Metric Imperial

1 cm2 in2

1 m2 ft2

1 m2 yd2

1 ha 2.4711 ac

1 km2 0.3861 mi2

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 49

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

My Notes Converting Between Metric and Imperial (Continued)

The tables you completed in Activity 6 might help you simplify
conversions between systems. Let’s look at an example before you do
some conversions on your own.

Example 6
The area of Jasper’s living room is 180 ft2. What is the area in m2?

Solution This is the conversion factor

1 ft2 = 0.0929 m2 you found in Activity 6.

1 ft2 - 0.0929 m2

To solve this, you could set up a proportion.

Let x = the area in square metres.

x 0.0929 m2
=
180 ft 2 1 ft 2
x(1 ft 2 ) = ( 0.0929 m2 )(180 ft 2 )
( 0.0929 m2 )(180 ft 2 )
x=
(1 ft 2 )
x = 16.722 m2

The living room area is about 16.722 m2.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Activity 7 My Notes

Self-Check
Do the following questions. Use the information from the tables in
Activity 6.

1. Nick planted 320 acres of canola. How many hectares of canola

did he plant? Round your answer to 1 decimal place.

2. The area of Morris’s front lawn is 100 yd2. What is the area in
square metres? Round your answer to the nearest unit.

3. The printed area of a wedding invitation is 150 cm2. What is the

area in in2? Round your answer to 1 decimal place.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 51

The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

 here are many online tools that you can use to make
T
My Notes
conversions quickly and easily. Some are included on the AWM
Website (http://www.openschool.bc.ca/courses/math/awm10).

Activity 8
Mastering Concepts
Try this question.

In 2009 in Canada, about 141 000 new homes were constructed. If the
average size of each home is 1800 ft2 in area, how many square miles
of new homes does this represent? Express your answer to the nearest
square mile.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson B: Area

Lesson Summary My Notes

The cost of flooring when

building a new home depends
on the size of the area that has
to be covered. You may have
noticed that stores often quote
prices for hardwood, linoleum,
tile, carpet, and other forms of
flooring in dollars per square
foot or square yard. The square
foot and square yard are
imperial units of area.

In this lesson you discovered

that common imperial units
of area included the square
inch, square foot, and square
yard. Larger areas are described Photo by AVAVA © 2010
using the acre and square mile.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 53

 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Lesson C
Volume and Capacity
To complete this lesson, you will need: In this lesson, you will complete:
• a calculator • 6 activities
• a ruler
• a tape measure that shows feet and inches
• Data Pages found in the appendix

Essential Questions

• How are volumes and capacity commonly measured in the imperial system?

• How are the units related?

• How can you convert between metric and imperial units?

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 55

The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

My Notes Focus

Modern home design incorporates energy conservation. What could

you do in your own home to minimize energy consumption?

Photo by Jonathan Larsen © 2010

Marlene and her class are discussing ways people can reduce the
amount of energy used in their homes. One student’s suggestion
was to turn down the thermostat to a cooler, but still comfortable,
temperature.

Marlene added that in her home, her mother installed a thermostat

that automatically changes the setting to a cooler temperature at
night when everyone in her family is asleep. Marlene’s mother
monitored the amount of natural gas the family used to heat their
home this February as compared to previous years and noticed a
significant saving.

When the teacher asked Marlene how much natural gas they used in
February, she replied, “we only used 20 000 cubic feet—almost 1800
cubic feet less than last year!”

Peter interrupted, “cubic feet? What’s a cubic foot?” The teacher

replied, “The cubic foot is a unit of volume in the imperial system.
Many gas meters still measure the volume of gas consumed in that
unit.”

Then the class turned their attention to how much 20 000 cubic feet
was and how many times you could fill their classroom with 20 000
cubic feet of air!

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Get Started My Notes

In Lesson B you practised estimating the answers to multiplication

questions. Remember that your estimation skills are important in
deciding whether or not an answer given for a problem seems reasonable.

When working with units in the imperial system, you often multiply
or divide by numbers that are difficult to handle mentally. Are there
estimation techniques for division that make this task simpler?

The following example shows an estimation technique that relies on

rounding each number to numbers that will easily divide into each other.

Example 1
Consider the following division question:

217 ÷ 27

Use your calculator to find the answer.

Now how could you estimate this answer without a calculator?

Solution
Using your calculator, you should have found

217 ÷ 27 = 8.037...

To estimate an answer to this question, follow these steps.

Begin by rounding 27 to one non-zero digit. 27 is between 20 and 30.

27 is closer to 30 than to 20. So, 27 rounds to 30.

Next you should round the number being divided, 217, to two non-
zero digits.

Why should you choose to round to two digits rather than one?
Suppose you round 217 to one digit. 217 lies between 200 and 300.
Because it is closer to 200, 217 rounds to 200.

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

But the 2 in 200 is not divisible by the 3 in 30 a whole number of

My Notes
times. So instead, 217 is rounded to 210 because the 21 in 210 is
divisible by the 3 in 30 a whole number of times.

Why wouldn’t you round 217 to 220 instead? Well, 3 does not divide
into 22 a whole number of times, and we’re trying to make the
estimate easy to calculate.

What is 21 ÷ 3?
21 ÷ 3 = 7

What is 210 ÷ 30?

210 ÷ 30 is also 7.

So, the estimated value of 217 ÷ 27 is 7, which is close to the value

recorded from your calculator.

You just used compatible numbers to estimate the answer to a

division question.

For example, the numbers 21 and 3 are compatible numbers because

3 divides into 21 a whole number of times.

Example 2
Suppose the following numbers are to be used in a division. Which of
the following numbers are compatible numbers?

a. 32 and 7
b. 15 and 5
c. 44 and 11
d. 40 and 6

Solution
a. 7 does not divide into 32 a whole number of times, so these
numbers are not compatible.
b. 15 and 5 are compatible because 15 ÷ 5 = 3.
c. 44 and 11 are compatible because 44 ÷ 11 = 4.
d. 6 does not divide into 40 a whole number of times, so these
numbers are not compatible.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Activity 1 My Notes

Self-Check
Estimate the value in each of the following questions:

1. 35 146 ÷ 41 =

2. 6700 ÷ 301 =

3. 3758 ÷513 =

4. 916 ÷ 22.7 =

5. 81 070 ÷ 403.98 =

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 59

The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

My Notes Explore

In Section 1 you explored volume as it is measured in the SI (metric)

system. In the next activity you will investigate the volume of an
object as it is measured in the imperial system.

Activity 2
Try This
You will need an imperial measuring tape to complete this activity.

Step 1: Look around your house for a medium-sized object that is

approximately the shape of a rectangular prism. You may choose a
microwave oven, a toaster oven, a bedside table, a storage box, or
another similar object.

Step 2: Using your

measuring tape, measure
the length, width and height
height of your object in
inches.

width
You should round your length
measurements to the
nearest inch. Record your Photo by Portfolio © 2010

measurements in the table below.

Step 3: Using your measuring tape, measure the length, width and
height of your object in feet. You should round your measurements to
the nearest foot. Record your measurements in the table below.

Object Length Width Height

(in) (ft) (in) (ft) (in) (ft)

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Step 4: Calculate the volume of your object using the dimensions

My Notes
measured in inches. Remember, the formula for volume of a
rectangular prism is:

V=l×w×h

Step 5: Calculate the volume of your object using the dimensions

measured in feet. Remember, the formula for volume of a rectangular
prism is:

V=l×w×h

1. When the dimensions are measured in inches, what units do you

use to describe volume? Explain how you know.

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

2. When the dimensions are measured in feet, what units do you use
My Notes
to describe volume? Explain how you know.

You will return to this activity later in the lesson.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

Bringing Ideas Together

In the Explore you calculated the volume of an object in cubic inches

and in cubic feet. Now let’s look at how these two units are related to
each other.

The Cubic Inch and the Cubic Foot

The cubic inch is a cube that measures one inch on each side. The
cubic foot is a cube that measures one foot on each side.

1 in 1 ft

1 in 1 in

1 ft
1 ft

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Do you know how many cubic inches fit in one cubic foot?
My Notes

Remember, there are 12 inches in a foot.

That means the cubic foot measures 12
inches by 12 inches by 12 inches.

To find the number of cubic inches in a

cubic foot, you can count up the number
of cubic inches making up the cubic
foot. Each layer is made up of a 12 by 12
square, so each layer contains 144 cubic
inches. There are 12 layers in the cube.

12 × 144 = 1728

So, there are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot.

You could also calculate the number of cubic inches in a cubic foot by
using the formula for volume of a rectangular prism.

V = l ×w ×h
1 ft 3 = 1 ft ×1 ft ×1 ft
= 12 in ×12 in ×12 in
= 1728 in 3

The Cubic Yard

The cubic yard is another common imperial unit of volume. What is
the relationship between cubic feet and cubic yards?

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Remember that 1 yd = 3 ft. You can see this in the graphic below.
My Notes

1 yd 3 ft

1 yd 1 yd 3 ft 3 ft

You can figure out the relationship between cubic yards and cubic feet
by applying the formula V = l × w × h.

V = 1 yd ×1 yd ×1 yd
= 1 yd 3
and
V = 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft
= 27 ft 3

So, 1 yd3 = 27 ft3.

Garden soil, concrete, sand, and gravel are often sold by the cubic
yard.

Example 3
A tissue box is 5 in wide, 9 in long, and 3 in high.

a. What is its volume in cubic inches?

b. What is its volume in cubic feet?

Express your answer as either whole numbers or fractions.

Solution
a. V = l × w × h
= 9 in × 5 in × 3 in
= 135 in 3

The volume of the tissue box is 135 in3.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

b. Method 1
My Notes
Since the answer is required in cubic feet, first change each
dimension to feet.
5
5 in = ft
12
9
9 in = ft
12
3
3 in = ft
12
Now find the volume. Because the dimensions are in feet, your
answer will be in cubic feet.
V = l ×w ×h
5 9 3
= ft × ft × ft
12 12 12
5 3 1
= ft × ft × ft
12 4 4
5 3
= ft
64
5 3
The volume is ft
64

Method 2
Convert cubic inches to cubic feet directly since the volume is
already calculated in cubic inches.

Recall:
1 ft3 = 1728 in3

To convert directly you can set up a proportion.

Let n = the volume in cubic feet

n 1 ft 3
=
135 in 3 1728 in 3
n(1728 in 3 ) = (1 ft 3 )(135 in 3 )
(1 ft 3 )(135 in 3 )
n=
(1728 in 3 )
5 3
n= ft
64
5 3
The volume is  ft .
64

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Example 4
My Notes
Chuck ordered 4 yd3 of soil to raise the level of the flower beds along
his house. How many cubic feet of soil did he order?

Solution
Because 1 yd3 = 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 ft3,

4 yd 3 = 4 × 27 ft 3
= 108 ft 3

Chuck ordered 108 ft3 of soil.

 ou may want to try these conversions using technology to

Y
help you. Open Imperial System Volume Conversion (http://
media.openschool.bc.ca/osbcmedia/math/mathawm10/html/
impvolumeconvert/lengthImpConvert.htm). Try using the
conversion tool to check the unit conversions in the previous
examples.

Activity 3
Self-Check
1. In Activity 2 you measured an object and found its volume in
cubic inches and in cubic feet.

a. Go back to Activity 2 and find the volumes you calculated.

Record them here.

Volume of your object in cubic inches:

Volume of your object in cubic feet:

b. Using the conversion factor 1 ft3 = 1728 in3, convert the

volume you calculated in cubic inches, to cubic feet.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

c. Compare your answer for (b) with the volume in cubic feet
My Notes
that you calculated in Activity 2. Are they close to the same?
If they are quite different, can you give a reason for this
difference?

2. Give an example of an everyday object that has this volume:

Answers will vary. Sample answers are given.

a. one cubic inch

b. one cubic foot

c. one cubic yard

3. Connie is interested in classic cars. At a recent auto show, she saw

a 1981 Ford Mustang 4.6 on display. The engine displacement was
given as 281 in3. What is the engine displacement in cubic feet?
Round your answer to two decimal places.

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

My Notes
Did You Know?
The SSC Ultimate Aero TT is the world’s most powerful
car with 1183 horsepower.

4. A cardboard box is 24 in long, 18 in wide, and 18 in high.

a. What is its volume in cubic feet?

b. What is its volume in cubic yards?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Units of Capacity My Notes

In Section 1 we discussed the
difference between volume and
capacity and looked at some metric
units for these measures. Volume
describes how many cubic units you
can divide an object into. Capacity
describes how much a container can
hold. One metric unit of capacity is
the litre (L). Can you remember some
others?

Photo by Geoffrey Kuchera © 2010

The imperial units of capacity
include the fluid ounce, cup, pint,
quart, and gallon.
1
There are 2  cups in a pint, 2 pints in a quart, and 4 quarts in a
2
gallon.

If you have done a little baking, or followed a recipe, you have

probably encountered the cup and the liquid ounce. There are 160
liquid ounces in an imperial gallon and 40 liquid ounces in an
imperial quart. You may also see ounces listed on the packages of
imported goods.

Did You Know?

The word gallon comes from the Latin word galleta.
Galleta is the Latin word for pail. A four-litre pail of ice
cream holds about one gallon.

In the United States, milk and juice are commonly sold in gallon,
quart, and pint containers. These American measures are different
from their imperial counterparts in Britain. The American quart and
5
gallon are only as large as their British imperial equivalents.
6

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Take out your Data Pages and look at the “Table of Conversions”. You
My Notes
will need to keep this table handy as you work through the rest of
this lesson.

Example 5

René’s cousin in Seattle is painting the bedrooms in his home. He

calculated that he needs enough paint to cover 900 ft2. How many
gallons should he buy if 1 qt covers 75 ft2?

Solution
You know that 1 qt of paint covers 75 ft2, so first, figure out how
many quarts you need to cover 900 ft2. Set up a proportion.

Let x = the amount, in quarts, of paint needed.

x 1 qt
2
=
900 ft 75 ft 2
x(75 ft 2 ) = (1 qt )(900 ft 2 )
(1 qt )(900 ft 2 )
x=
(75 ft 2 )
x = 12 qt

Now, convert the number of quarts to gallons. Set up a proportion.

Let n = the amount, in gallons, of paint needed.

n 1 gal
=
12 qt 4 qt
n(4 qt ) = (1 gal )(12 qt )
(1 gal )(12 qt )
n=
(44 qt )
n = 3 gal

René’s cousin needs to buy 3 gal of paint.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Activity 4 My Notes

Self-Check
Please answer the following questions. You may use the Data Pages.

1. When travelling in North Dakota, Mary bought a gallon of milk

for $3.00.
a. How many quarts are in 1 gal?

b. Calculate how much a quart costs.

2. Bill wants to paint the exterior of his garage door. The garage
door measures 16 ft × 7 ft. He has 2 qt of paint leftover in a gallon
container he purchased previously. The directions on the gallon
container say it holds enough paint to cover 250 ft2. Will Bill have
enough paint for this project?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

My Notes Imperial and American Measures of Capacity

We can use conversion tables to help us convert between imperial and
metric units of volume and capacity. However, converting between
units of capacity is a bit more complicated. As mentioned previously,
American units of capacity have similar names as the British imperial
units, but they aren’t the same sizes.

The American gallon is very close to 4 L, but the imperial gallon

is 20% larger. This creates confusion when talking about fuel
consumption, for instance. Twenty miles per gallon does not mean
the same thing in Canada as it does in the United States.

Did You Know?

Canada is the largest provider of oil and natural gas
for the United States.

Before looking at the conversion tables for metric, imperial, and

American standard measures, work through the following example to
see how entries in the tables are obtained.

Example 6
How many cubic centimetres are there in 1 in3?

Solution
Remember that 1 in = 2.54 cm.

So, 1 in 3 = 1 in ×1 in ×1 in
= 2.54 cm × 2.54 cm × 2.54 cm
= 16.387 064 cm3
There are about 16.39 cm3 in 1 in3.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Look at the following conversion tables. The entries have been

My Notes
rounded.

Metric Imperial (British) American Measures

1 cm3 0.06 in3 0.06 in3
1 m3 1.31 yd3 1.31 yd3
1 m3 35.31 ft3 35.31 ft3
1L 0.22 gal 0.26 gal (US)
1L 0.88 qt 1.06 qt (US)

Imperial (British) American Measures Metric

1 in3 1 in3 16.39 cm3
1 ft3 1 ft3 0.03 m3
1 yd3 1 yd3 0.76 m3
1 qt 1.20 qt (US) 1.14 L
1 gal 1.20 gal (US) 4.55 L

American Measures Imperial (British) Metric

1 in3 1 in3 16.39 cm3
1 ft3 1 ft3 0.028 m3
1 yd3 1 yd3 0.76 m3
1 qt (US) 0.83 qt 0.95 L
1 gal (US) 0.83 gal 3.79 L

You should also familiarize yourself with the “Table of Conversions”

in the Data Pages.

Work through the following examples to see how to use these tables.

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Example 7
My Notes
Bernice is ordering topsoil for her garden. She calculated she needs
15 yd3. When she telephones in her order, how many cubic metres
should she ask for? Round your answer to 1 decimal place.

Solution
1 yd3 ≈ 0.76 m3

So, to convert, multiply by the conversion factor found in the tables.

15 yd 3 = (15 × 0.76) m3
= 11.4 m3
= 11.4 m3

Bernice should order 11.4 m3 of topsoil.

Example 8
A compact car in the United States is advertised as averaging
32 mi/gal. How many miles to the imperial gallon would it
average? Round to one decimal place.

Solution
A British imperial gallon is larger than a US gallon. A car would go
further on one imperial gallon than it would on one US gallon.

We know that the car goes 32 mi for every US gallon.

32 mi
We can write .
1 US gal

We also know that 1 US gal = 0.83 British gal.

So,
32 mi 32 mi
= = 38.6 mi/British gal
1 US gal 0.83 British gal

The compact car would average 38.6 miles to the imperial gallon.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Activity 5 My Notes

Self-Check
Please answer the following questions. You may use the conversion
tables from this lesson, or the “Table of Conversions” in the Data
Pages.

1. How many litres of paint are there in 5 US gallons? Round your

answer to one decimal place.

2. Bill bought 3 qt of milk in Montana, US. How many litres of milk

did he buy? Round your answer to one decimal place.

3. If gasoline sells for $0.936 per litre, how much is it per British
imperial gallon? Round your answer to the nearest cent.

4. How many cubic feet are there in a load of concrete 2 m3? Round
your answer to 1 decimal place.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

My Notes Activity 6
Mastering Concepts
Aaron wants to order enough topsoil to raise a rectangular flower bed
8 in. If the flower bed measures 21 ft × 3 ft, how many cubic yards of
topsoil should he order if the landscape firm sells soil to the nearest
one-half cubic yard? Make sure he doesn’t come up short!

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Lesson Summary My Notes

Natural gas from western Canada flows through pipelines to markets

across North America. Consumers are billed based on the amount
of gas they use. If your home uses natural gas for heating, ask to see
last month’s bill to find out how much natural gas your home used.
The volume of natural gas you consumed was most likely quoted in
thousands of cubic feet and then converted to an energy equivalent.
The cubic foot is a measure of volume in the imperial system.

Photo by Jim Parkin © 2010

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Lesson D
Mass
To complete this lesson, you will need: In this lesson, you will complete:
• a scale • 7 activities
• a suitcase or box
• a calculator
• Data Pages found in the appendix

Essential Questions

• How are masses commonly measured in the imperial system?.

• How are the units for mass in the imperial system related?

• How are masses converted between the imperial and SI units?

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

My Notes Focus

Curtis is making a batch of cookies. He is using a favourite recipe

from his grandmother’s cookbook. The recipe calls for two ounces of
fresh butter. He asks his sister for advice.

“How much butter is two

ounces?” asked Curtis.

“I think ounces are parts of a

pound!” his sister answered.

“Well,” Curtis complained,

"I just bought this brick of
butter and all it says on the
wrapping is 454 g. Now
what?”
Photo by Robyn Mackenzie © 2010

How might you help him add the correct amount of butter?

Get Started

In Section 1, Lesson D, we looked at metric units of mass. Remember,

the terms mass and weight have slightly different meanings. Briefly
describe this difference below. (You may refer to Section 1 Lesson D if
you need to refresh your memory.)

In this lesson, as we did before, we will use the terms mass and weight
interchangeably.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Estimating Mass My Notes

Even in Canada, many people still use the imperial unit pound to
describe their body mass or when they buy produce in a supermarket.

Photo by Rob Wilson © 2010

Have you ever travelled by air? If you have, then you know that
many airlines place restrictions on the size of your checked baggage.
For example, some airlines limit passengers travelling in economy
class to two checked bags, and neither bag can exceed 50 pounds.
If passengers check more bags or if their bags are too heavy, the
passengers are charged a penalty.

How would you decide, before leaving for the airport, if your suitcases
meet the weight-restrictions? In Activity 1 you will test your skills in
estimating mass in pounds.

Activity 1
Try This
You will need a bathroom scale and an empty suitcase or box.

Caution: Do not try to handle more weight than you can safely lift.
You may wish to ask a friend or family member to help you with this
activity.

Fill the suitcase with items such as clothes, books or canned goods
until you think, when you lift the suitcase, that it weighs close to 50
pounds.

Now use your scale to measure the mass of the suitcase.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

How might you weigh the suitcase if it doesn’t balance on the scale?
My Notes

One method is to weigh yourself first and make note of your mass.
Then stand on the scale while holding the suitcase and make note of
the combined mass of you and the suitcase. Subtract your mass from
the combined mass of you and the suitcase. The difference is the mass
of the suitcase!
Add or subtract items until you have a 50-pound suitcase.

1. How good were you at estimating weight?

2. If you were going on a holiday, would you trust an estimate

without actually weighing your suitcase? (What if you were going
to be charged extra money for going over the weight limit?)

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Explore My Notes

Whether or not you were successful in estimating the mass of your

suitcase in Activity 1, you might find it helpful to establish some
reference points for measuring masses. Knowing the masses of some
everyday objects will help you to estimate masses more accurately.
This can come in handy when you are baking and don’t have a scale,
or when you are estimating the cost of produce at a market.

Activity 2 will help you establish some reference points for measuring
masses in pounds.

Activity 2
Try This
Use the following table for the questions in this activity.

Item 1 Item 2
Target Mass
(pounds) Measured Measured
Selected Item Selected Item
Mass (pounds) Mass (pounds)
1

10

20

50

100

1. Fill in the two “Selected Item” columns in the table given above.
To do this, select items that you find around your home that you
think match the target masses given.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

2. Check the accuracy of your list by weighing the items on your

My Notes
scale and recording their masses in the table given above.

3. Explain how you selected the items in the table.

4. How important is it to use a scale to measure the mass of an

object?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Bringing Ideas Together My Notes

In Explore and Get Started you weighed items in pounds. The pound,
as a unit of mass, dates back at least as far as the time of the Romans.
The symbol for one pound is lb. This symbol is an abbreviation of
the Latin word libra—the word for a set of scales used for weighing
objects.

Did You Know?

As mentioned above, libra is the Latin word
used for scales. A scale is considered to be any
instrument that measures mass.
Photo by Glam © 2010

The symbol for the birth sign Libra is a set of scales because the
constellation Libra is thought to look like a set of scales. These
older-style scales are made up of two pans connected to a bar.

Newer scales, like bathroom scales, are often

compact devices that have a spring-loaded
platform that moves down in response to the
weight on it.

Photo by EdBockStock © 2010

Pounds and Ounces

The Roman pound was divided into 12 parts. The Latin word uncia for
“twelfth part,” as you will recall, gave the word inch. It also gives the
English word ounce. The troy pound, used for precious metals such
as gold and silver, still has 12 ounces. However, the modern pound
commonly used for weight (mass) is divided into 16 ounces. The
symbol for the ounce is oz.

The following example deals with the relationship between pounds

and ounces.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Example 1
My Notes
Krysta’s baby weighed 6 lb 7 oz at birth. Altogether, how many ounces
did she weigh?

Solution
Remember, 1 lb = 16 oz.

6 lb 7oz = 6 lb + 7oz
Multiply by 16 to convert
= (6 ×16) oz + 7 oz
from pounds to ounces.
= 96 oz + 7oz
= 103 oz

At birth, Krysta’s baby weighed 103 oz.

Now it’s time to weigh your skills! Try the next activity.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Activity 3 My Notes

Self-Check
Please answer the following questions.

1. An average egg weighs about 2 oz. How many pounds would two
dozen eggs weigh?

2. A butcher slices a 5-lb ham into 160 pieces. What is the average
weight in ounces per slice?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

My Notes Tonnes of Tons!

In the imperial system, large masses are measured in tons. There are
short tons and long tons. Short tons are used in the United States,
and are often referred to simply as tons. Long tons are part of the
British imperial system.

Photo by Bram van Broekhoven © 2010

Did You Know?

The British defined the ton as equal to 160 stone when they
considered the stone as the basic unit of weight. One stone
equals 14 lb. Therefore their ton, now also known as the
long ton, is equal to 2240 lb.

These short and long tons are not to be confused with the tonnes we
learned about in Section 1 Lesson D—those were metric tonnes.

Here’s a summary of the different ton(ne)s. You can use these

conversion factors as you work through the rest of this lesson.

1 short ton = 2000 pounds = 907 kilograms

1 long ton = 2240 pounds = 1016 kilograms

1 metric tonne = 2200 pounds = 1000 kilograms

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Example 2
My Notes
Mr. Watnee hauls gravel. He estimates that 1 yd3 weighs 3000 lb. How
many tons (short) would a load of gravel 5 yd3 weigh?

Solution
To solve this, let’s set up a proportion. Remember, 1 ton = 2000 lb.

Let x = the mass of gravel in tons.

x 1 ton
=
15 000 lb 2000 lb
x(2000 lb) = (1 ton )(15 000 lb)
(1 ton )(15 000 lb)
x=
(2000 lb)
x = 7.5 ton

Mr. Watnee’s load of gravel weighs 7.5 tons.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

My Notes Activity 4
Self-Check
Please answer the following questions. You may use the Data Pages
and the coversion factors in this lesson.

1. Sergey loaded 200 bushels of wheat into the box of his truck. The
grain weighed 5.2 tons (short). How many pounds did each bushel
of wheat weigh?

2. If 1 yd3 of gravel weighs 1.5 tons (short), how many pounds does
1 ft3 of gravel weigh? Round your answer to the nearest pound.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Converting Between Metric and Imperial My Notes

As for length, area, volume, and capacity, there is a need from time to
time to convert masses between the imperial and SI systems.

 ou can use Imperial to SI Weight Conversion (http://media.

Y
openschool.bc.ca/osbcmedia/math/mathawm10/html/
imptosiconvert/ImpLengthSIConvert.htm) to view conversions
between metric and imperial measurements.

Mass Conversions
Conversion tables help you convert between systems. Use the tables
below to convert between units of mass. (Note the masses have been
rounded to 2 decimal places.)

Imperial Metric

1 oz 28.35 g

1 lb 0.45 kg

1 ton (short) = 2000 lb 0.91 t

1 ton (long) = 2240 lb 1.02 t

Imperial Metric

1g 0.04 oz

1 kg 2.20 lb

1t 1.10 ton (short)

1t 0.98 ton (long)

Have a look at the following example before moving on to Activity 5.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Example 5
My Notes
Jenny weighs 116 lb. What is her mass to the nearest kilogram?

Solution
We can solve this by either setting up a proportion or multiplying by
the conversion factor. Let’s set up a proportion.

From the Data Pages, we know that 1 kg = 2.2 lb.

Let x = Jenny’s mass in kilograms.

x 1 kg
=
116 lb 2.2 lb
x(2.2 lb) = (1 kg )(116 lb)
(1 kg )(116 lb)
x=
(2.2 lb)
x = 52.72 kg

Rounding to the nearest kilogram, Jenny’s mass is about 53 kg.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Activity 5 My Notes

Self-Check
Now check your skills in converting between imperial and SI masses.
Complete the following questions using the conversion tables from
Mass Conversions.

1. Apples cost $0.79 per pound. What is their cost per kilogram?
Round your answer to the nearest cent.

2. The mass of a Canadian two-dollar coin is 7.3 g. What is its mass

in ounces? Round your answer to 2 decimal places.

3. How much does 1 gal (imperial) of water weigh, in pounds, if 1 L

of water has a mass of 1 kg? Round your answer to the nearest
pound.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

My Notes Activity 6
Mastering Concepts
Try this question. You will need to apply your knowledge of volume,
capacity and mass.

Connie is planning to lay a concrete driveway 60 ft long, 15 ft wide,

and 4 in thick. If 1 yd3 of concrete weighs 4000 lb, how many short
tons of concrete are needed for the driveway? Round your answer to 1
decimal place.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson D: Mass

Lesson Summary My Notes

When following a recipe, do you feel more comfortable measuring

quantities using the SI or imperial system?

Photo by Inga Nielsen © 2010

In this lesson, you discovered that the common units for mass in the
imperial system are the pound, ounce, and the short and long tons.
You explored converting between the units of mass in the metric and
imperial systems.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Lesson E
Temperature
To complete this lesson, you will need: In this lesson, you will complete:
• (if possible) a thermometer that has • 5 activities
both a Celsius and Fahrenheit scale
• calculator
• Data Pages found in the appendix

Essential Questions

• How are temperatures measured on the Fahrenheit scale?

• With what common Fahrenheit temperatures should you be familiar?

• How are the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales related?

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

My Notes Focus

When holidaying in Canada or the United States, national parks are a

favoured destination.

Photo by Pixelite © 2010

Joshua Tree National Park is located in the desert of southern

California. This park is renowned for its spectacular rock formations
and unusual vegetation. The extremes of the desert climate can be
shocking if you aren’t prepared! In January, the daytime temperatures
can be warm enough for short sleeves and shorts; but at night, the
temperature can dip well below freezing.

If you have travelled in the United States, you may have noticed that
they don’t use the Celsius thermometer. They measure temperature in
degrees Fahrenheit.

Get Started

The Fahrenheit scale was devised by Daniel Fahrenheit almost 300

years ago. Fahrenheit was a German-speaking instrument maker and
scientist. He worked with a scientist in Denmark.

In Activity 1 you will explore some of the steps used to develop

important points on the Fahrenheit scale. We’ll return to the story of
Daniel Fahrenheit after the activity.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Activity 1 My Notes

Try This
You will need a thermometer with both Celsius and Fahrenheit scales,
ice, water, and table salt to complete this activity.

If you don't have the materials to complete this activity,

simply use Taking Temperatures (http://media.openschool.bc.
ca/osbcmedia/math/mathawm10/html/taking_temp.html).

(Note: if you do not have internet access and you do not have the
materials, just skip ahead to the next topic, The Farenheit Scale.)

Whether you’re actually completing this experiment, or using the

media, please follow the instructions and use the table below to
record the temperatures in degrees Celcius and in degrees Fahrenheit.

Instructions
If you’re doing the experiment:

• Step 1. Fill two cups with crushed ice (or small ice cubes). In
one cup, add a handful of salt and stir.

• Step 2. Once the ice is about halfway melted, use the

thermometer to measure the temperature. Record the
temperature in the table below.

• Step 3. Measure your body temperature by placing the

thermometer under your armpit and holding it there for 2
minutes. Record the temperature in the table below.

• Step 4. Fill a small pot with water. Place the pot on the stove
and bring to a boil. (Alternatively, you could boil water using
an electric kettle.) Carefully measure the temperature of the
boiling water using your thermometer. Record the temperature
in the table below.

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

If you’re using the media:

My Notes
• Step 1. Go to your AWM 10 Media CD and open Taking
Temperatures.

• Step 2. Drag the thermometer to each of the four items and

record the resulting temperatures in the following table.

Temperature on the Temperature on the

Situation
Celsius (ºC) scale Fahrenheit (oF) scale
Freezing/Melting Point
of Water

Ice/Salt Mixture

Body Temperature

Boiling Water

What conclusions can you draw from the results you recorded in the
table?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

The Fahrenheit Scale My Notes

Daniel Fahrenheit proposed that 0º on his scale would be the
temperature of a salt-ice mixture, the coldest temperature he thought
was possible to create.

Fahrenheit used the temperature of a healthy person’s armpit as the

next benchmark. He called that temperature 96º. He chose 96 instead
of 100 because 96 could be divided by 12 (just like the number of
inches in a foot!). It turned out, based on these benchmarks, that the
freezing point of water on this scale was 32º.

When his scale was revised later, based on the work of other
scientists, it was decided to keep 32º as the freezing point of water and
make 212º the boiling point so there would be an even 180º between
them. It is interesting to note that after this small adjustment, body
temperature was not 96º as Fahrenheit wanted, but 98.6º.

The Fahrenheit temperature scale is a scale that sets the freezing point
of water at 32ºF and the boiling point of water at 212ºF.

Now that you are familiar with some benchmarks on the Fahrenheit
and Celsius scales, you should be prepared to complete the activities
in Explore.

Explore

On both the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales, we use “degrees” as the

units of measurement. What is the relationship between degrees
Fahrenheit and degrees Celcuis? Are the “degrees” the same size on
both scales or are they different? You will find the answers to these
questions in Activity 2.

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

My Notes Activity 2
Try This
Use the image of the thermometer to help you
answer the questions that follow.

1. How many Celsius degrees are there between

freezing and boiling?

2. How many Fahrenheit degrees are there

between freezing and boiling?

3. Which degree is larger—a Fahrenheit degree

or a Celsius degree? How do you know?

4. Determine each of the following ratios. Express them as fractions

in their simplest terms.

a. number of Fahrenheit degrees

between boiling and
d freezing
=
number of Celsius degrees
between boiiling and freezing

b. number of Celsius degrees

between boiling and frreezing
=
number of Fahrenheit degrees
between boiiling and freezing

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

5. Use your answers for the ratios in question 4 to complete the

My Notes
equations below.
a. 1 Celsius degree = × 1 Fahrenheit degree

b. 1 Fahrenheit degree = × 1 Celsius degree

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

Using Ratios to Convert Temperatures

The fractions you found in Activity 2 show the relationship between
degrees on the Fahrenheit scale and degrees on the Celsius scale.
F 9 C 5
= and = , where F stands for the number of Fahrenheit
C 5 F 9
degrees and C stands for the number of
Celsius degrees
9
So, F = × C
5
5
C= ×F
9
You can use these ratios to convert between degrees Fahrenheit
and degrees Celsius. To do this you would consider how far a given
temperature is from a benchmark such as the freezing point of water;
that is:

• Calculate the span of degrees between the given temperature

and the freezing temperature of water.
• Convert this span to the number of degrees on the scale you are
converting to.
• Add this span to the freezing point of water on the new scale.

Example 1
The temperature of water in a bathtub is 140°F. What is this
temperature on the Celsius scale?

Solution
Remember that on the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is
32°F. So, first consider how far 140°F is from this benchmark.

140°F – 32°F = 108°F above the freezing point of water.

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Then, you can convert this range to degrees Celsius.

My Notes
5
108° × °C = 60°C
9
140°F is 60°C above the freezing point of water.

Now we must consider the Celsius scale. The freezing point of water
on that scale is 0°C. So,

60°C above freezing = 60°C + 0°C

= 60°C

Bringing Ideas Together

Now you will bring the ideas from Get Started and Explore together
to examine conversions more closely.

Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius

Example 2
Convert 68ºF to a temperature in degrees Celsius.

Solution
First, pick a benchmark temperature. Freezing on the Fahrenheit scale
is 32ºF.

68ºF is 68 – 32 = 36 Fahrenheit degrees above freezing

Now convert this range to degrees Celsius. Remember, there are only
5 Celsius degrees for every 9 Fahrenheit degrees.
5º C
Multiply the number of Fahrenheit degrees by .
9º F
5º C
number of Celsius degrees above freezing = 36º F ×
9º F
= 20 º C

Since freezing, on the Celsius scale, is 0 degrees,

68ºF = 20ºC.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Let’s summarize the steps we used to solve this problem and create a
My Notes
formula.
5
Celsius temperature = × (Fahrenheit temperature – 32)
9
5
This formula can be abbreviated C = ( F − 32) .
9
You can use this formula to convert from Fahrenheit scale to the
Celsius scale. Take out your Data Pages. Look at the section titled
“Formulae”. The first formula you see there is the one we have just
developed!

Let’s look at another example.

Example 3
The temperature last January in Minot, ND, fell to –30ºF. What was
this temperature to the nearest tenth in degrees Celsius?

Solution
Let’s use the formula.
5
C= ( F − 32 )
9
5
C = (−30 − 32 )
9
5
C = (−62 )
9
C = −34.444...

So, –30ºF is approximately –34.4ºC.

As you can see, the formula works for both positive and negative
temperatures.

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

My Notes Converting Celsius to Fahrenheit

5
So far, we have used the C = ( F − 32) formula to convert from
9
Fahrenheit scale to the Celsius scale. Can you use this formula to
convert from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit?

In order to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, we need to rearrange

the formula. We want to be able to substitute in a temperature in
degrees Celsius and obtain the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. So,
let’s rearrange the formula to solve for F.
5 5( F − 32 )
C = ( F − 32) can be written as C =
9 9
Our objective is to get the F by itself on one side of the equation.

5( F − 32 ) Multiply both sides by 9 to get

(9)C = (9)
9 rid of the 9 in the denominator.
9C = 5( F − 32 )
9C 5 ( F − 32 ) Divide both sides by 5 to get
=
5 5 rid of the 5 on the left side.
9
C = F − 32
5
9 Add 32 to both
C + 32 = F − 32 + 32
5 sides to isolate F.
9
C + 32 = F
5
9
You can also write this formula as F = C + 32 .
5
Notice that this formula is not given on the Data Pages. You will
need to know how to rearrange the formula given in order to convert
between the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Let’s use the formula we found above to do one last example.

My Notes
Example 4
Last night the temperature dropped to 15ºC. What is this temperature
in Fahrenheit?

Solution
In this example we are converting from degrees Celsius to degrees
Fahrenheit. Use the formula and substitute the value that you know.
9
F= C + 32
5
9
F = (15) + 32
5
F = 27 + 32
F = 59
The temperature 15ºC equals 59°F.

 o quickly convert between temperatures, you can use the

T
multimedia Temperature Conversion (http://media.openschool.
bc.ca/osbcmedia/math/mathawm10/html/tempconvert/
tempConversion.htm). You can use this tool to check the
solutions to examples 2–4.

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

My Notes Activity 3
Self-Check
You will now apply the formulas for converting between temperature
scales. You may use your Data Pages.

Please answer the following questions.

1. Martin has a fever of 101.3ºF. How many Fahrenheit degrees above

normal is his temperature?

2. The coldest temperature in Canada was –63ºC recorded on

February 3, 1947, in Snag, Yukon. What is this temperature in
degrees Fahrenheit?

3. The highest recorded temperature in Death Valley in the

southwestern United States was 134ºF reached on July 10, 1913.
What is this temperature in degrees Celsius? Round your answer
to 1 decimal place.

4. A recipe for Swiss steak calls for an oven temperature of 160ºC.

What would the oven setting be in degrees Fahrenheit?

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Activity 4 My Notes

Mastering Concepts
If you have mastered the concepts in this lesson and would like a
challenge, try these questions.

1. Scientists state that absolute zero, the temperature at which

molecular motion is at a minimum, is approximately –273.15ºC.
What is the equivalent temperature in degrees Fahrenheit?

2. On the Kelvin scale, the temperature at which molecular motion

is at a minimum is set to be 0 K. Each degree on the Kelvin scale
is the same size as the degree on the Celsius scale. Approximately
what would body temperature be on the Kelvin scale?

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The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

3. The Rankine scale is another temperature scale. Zero on

My Notes
the Rankine scale correlates to absolute zero on the Celsius
temperature scale: –273.15ºC. Each degree on the Rankine scale
is the same size as the degree on the Fahrenheit scale. Using the
information from #1 and #2, determine what body termperature
would be on the Rankine scale.

Turn to the solutions at the end of the section and mark

your work.

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 The Imperial System—Lesson E: Temperature

Lesson Summary My Notes

Winter and summer sports are governed by the weather. Do you

check weather forecasts when planning your weekend activities? In
Canada since the 1960s, temperature is reported on the Celsius scale,
but if you were in the United States today, the temperature would be
given in Fahrenheit.

Photo by ALPO © 2010

In this lesson, you investigated the way temperatures are measured
using the Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales. You also
examined some common Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures.
Through an exploration of the relationship between degrees Celsius
and degrees Fahrenheit, you discovered how a temperature can be
converted between the two scales.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 111

 The Imperial System— Appendix

The Imperial System—

Appendix
Data Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages

TABLE OF CONVERSIONS

1 inch 2.54 centimetres

1 foot 30.5 centimetres
1 foot 0.305 metres
1 foot = 12 inches
1 yard = 3 feet
1 yard 0.915 metres
1 mile = 1760 yards
1 mile 1.6 kilometres
1 kilogram 2.2 pounds
1 litre 1.06 US quarts
1 litre 0.26 US gallons
1 gallon 4 quarts
6
1 British gallon US gallon
5

FORMULAE
Temperature
5
C= ( F 32 )
9

Trigonometry
(Put your calculator in Degree Mode)
• Right triangles
Pythagorean Theorem
a2 + b2 = c2
opposite
sin A = B
hypotenuse
adjacent c
cos A = a
hypotenuse
A
opposite C b
tan A =
adjacent

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages

GEOMETRIC FORMULAE
cm
Key Legend
1

l = length P = perimeter
2

w = width C = circumference
b = base A = area
3

h = height SA = surface area

s = slant height V = volume
4

r = radius
5

d = diameter
6

Geometric Figure Perimeter Area

7

Rectangle P = 2l + 2w
8

or A = lw
9

P = 2 (l + w )
10

Triangle
bh
11

P = a+b+c A=
2
12

Circle
C =
d
13

or A =
r 2
14

C = 2
r
15

Note: Use the value of
programmed in your calculator rather

16

than the approximation of 3.14.

17
18
19
20

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages

Geometric Figure Surface Area

Inches
Cylinder
Atop =
r 2
r
• Abase =
r 2
h

1
Aside = 2
rh

SA = 2
r 2 + 2
rh

Sphere
SA = 4
r 2

2
r or
•

SA =
d 2

3
Cone
Aside =
rs

s Abase =
r 2
h
SA =
r 2 +
rs

4
r

Square-Based Pyramid 1
Atriangle = bs ( for each triangle )
2
s Abase = b 2

5
h
SA = 2bs + b 2
b b

Rectangular Prism SA = wh + wh + lw + lw + lh + lh
6

or
h w
l SA = 2 ( wh + lw + lh )

General Right Prism SA = the sum of the areas of

all the faces
7

General Pyramid SA = the sum of the areas of

all the faces
8

Note: Use the value of
programmed in your calculator rather

than the approximation of 3.14.

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 117

Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10 Data Page 3
 The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages

Canada Pension Plan Contributions Cotisations au Régime de pensions du Canada

Weekly (52 pay periods a year) Hebdomadaire (52 périodes de paie par année)
Pay Pay Pay Pay
Rémunération CPP Rémunération CPP Rémunération CPP Rémunération CPP
RPC RPC RPC RPC
From - De To - À From - De To - À From - De To - À From - De To - À
358.11 - 358.31 14.40 372.66 - 372.85 15.12 387.20 - 387.40 15.84 401.75 - 401.94 16.56
358.32 - 358.51 14.41 372.86 - 373.05 15.13 387.41 - 387.60 15.85 401.95 - 402.14 16.57
358.52 - 358.71 14.42 373.06 - 373.25 15.14 387.61 - 387.80 15.86 402.15 - 402.35 16.58
358.72 - 358.91 14.43 373.26 - 373.46 15.15 387.81 - 388.00 15.87 402.36 - 402.55 16.59
358.92 - 359.11 14.44 373.47 - 373.66 15.16 388.01 - 388.20 15.88 402.56 - 402.75 16.60
359.12 - 359.32 14.45 373.67 - 373.86 15.17 388.21 - 388.41 15.89 402.76 - 402.95 16.61
359.33 - 359.52 14.46 373.87 - 374.06 15.18 388.42 - 388.61 15.90 402.96 - 403.15 16.62
359.53 - 359.72 14.47 374.07 - 374.26 15.19 388.62 - 388.81 15.91 403.16 - 403.36 16.63
359.73 - 359.92 14.48 374.27 - 374.47 15.20 388.82 - 389.01 15.92 403.37 - 403.56 16.64
359.93 - 360.12 14.49 374.48 - 374.67 15.21 389.02 - 389.21 15.93 403.57 - 403.76 16.65
360.13 - 360.33 14.50 374.68 - 374.87 15.22 389.22 - 389.42 15.94 403.77 - 403.96 16.66
360.34 - 360.53 14.51 374.88 - 375.07 15.23 389.43 - 389.62 15.95 403.97 - 404.16 16.67
360.54 - 360.73 14.52 375.08 - 375.27 15.24 389.63 - 389.82 15.96 404.17 - 404.37 16.68
360.74 - 360.93 14.53 375.28 - 375.48 15.25 389.83 - 390.02 15.97 404.38 - 404.57 16.69
360.94 - 361.13 14.54 375.49 - 375.68 15.26 390.03 - 390.22 15.98 404.58 - 404.77 16.70
361.14 - 361.34 14.55 375.69 - 375.88 15.27 390.23 - 390.43 15.99 404.78 - 404.97 16.71
361.35 - 361.54 14.56 375.89 - 376.08 15.28 390.44 - 390.63 16.00 404.98 - 405.17 16.72
361.55 - 361.74 14.57 376.09 - 376.28 15.29 390.64 - 390.83 16.01 405.18 - 405.38 16.73
361.75 - 361.94 14.58 376.29 - 376.49 15.30 390.84 - 391.03 16.02 405.39 - 405.58 16.74
361.95 - 362.14 14.59 376.50 - 376.69 15.31 391.04 - 391.23 16.03 405.59 - 405.78 16.75
362.15 - 362.35 14.60 376.70 - 376.89 15.32 391.24 - 391.44 16.04 405.79 - 405.98 16.76
362.36 - 362.55 14.61 376.90 - 377.09 15.33 391.45 - 391.64 16.05 405.99 - 406.18 16.77
362.56 - 362.75 14.62 377.10 - 377.29 15.34 391.65 - 391.84 16.06 406.19 - 406.39 16.78
362.76 - 362.95 14.63 377.30 - 377.50 15.35 391.85 - 392.04 16.07 406.40 - 406.59 16.79
362.96 - 363.15 14.64 377.51 - 377.70 15.36 392.05 - 392.24 16.08 406.60 - 406.79 16.80
363.16 - 363.36 14.65 377.71 - 377.90 15.37 392.25 - 392.45 16.09 406.80 - 406.99 16.81
363.37 - 363.56 14.66 377.91 - 378.10 15.38 392.46 - 392.65 16.10 407.00 - 407.19 16.82
363.57 - 363.76 14.67 378.11 - 378.31 15.39 392.66 - 392.85 16.11 407.20 - 407.40 16.83
363.77 - 363.96 14.68 378.32 - 378.51 15.40 392.86 - 393.05 16.12 407.41 - 407.60 16.84
363.97 - 364.16 14.69 378.52 - 378.71 15.41 393.06 - 393.25 16.13 407.61 - 407.80 16.85
364.17 - 364.37 14.70 378.72 - 378.91 15.42 393.26 - 393.46 16.14 407.81 - 408.00 16.86
364.38 - 364.57 14.71 378.92 - 379.11 15.43 393.47 - 393.66 16.15 408.01 - 408.20 16.87
364.58 - 364.77 14.72 379.12 - 379.32 15.44 393.67 - 393.86 16.16 408.21 - 408.41 16.88
364.78 - 364.97 14.73 379.33 - 379.52 15.45 393.87 - 394.06 16.17 408.42 - 408.61 16.89
364.98 - 365.17 14.74 379.53 - 379.72 15.46 394.07 - 394.26 16.18 408.62 - 408.81 16.90
365.18 - 365.38 14.75 379.73 - 379.92 15.47 394.27 - 394.47 16.19 408.82 - 409.01 16.91
365.39 - 365.58 14.76 379.93 - 380.12 15.48 394.48 - 394.67 16.20 409.02 - 409.21 16.92
365.59 - 365.78 14.77 380.13 - 380.33 15.49 394.68 - 394.87 16.21 409.22 - 409.42 16.93
365.79 - 365.98 14.78 380.34 - 380.53 15.50 394.88 - 395.07 16.22 409.43 - 409.62 16.94
365.99 - 366.18 14.79 380.54 - 380.73 15.51 395.08 - 395.27 16.23 409.63 - 409.82 16.95
366.19 - 366.39 14.80 380.74 - 380.93 15.52 395.28 - 395.48 16.24 409.83 - 410.02 16.96
366.40 - 366.59 14.81 380.94 - 381.13 15.53 395.49 - 395.68 16.25 410.03 - 410.22 16.97
366.60 - 366.79 14.82 381.14 - 381.34 15.54 395.69 - 395.88 16.26 410.23 - 410.43 16.98
366.80 - 366.99 14.83 381.35 - 381.54 15.55 395.89 - 396.08 16.27 410.44 - 410.63 16.99
367.00 - 367.19 14.84 381.55 - 381.74 15.56 396.09 - 396.28 16.28 410.64 - 410.83 17.00
367.20 - 367.40 14.85 381.75 - 381.94 15.57 396.29 - 396.49 16.29 410.84 - 411.03 17.01
367.41 - 367.60 14.86 381.95 - 382.14 15.58 396.50 - 396.69 16.30 411.04 - 411.23 17.02
367.61 - 367.80 14.87 382.15 - 382.35 15.59 396.70 - 396.89 16.31 411.24 - 411.44 17.03
367.81 - 368.00 14.88 382.36 - 382.55 15.60 396.90 - 397.09 16.32 411.45 - 411.64 17.04
368.01 - 368.20 14.89 382.56 - 382.75 15.61 397.10 - 397.29 16.33 411.65 - 411.84 17.05
368.21 - 368.41 14.90 382.76 - 382.95 15.62 397.30 - 397.50 16.34 411.85 - 412.04 17.06
368.42 - 368.61 14.91 382.96 - 383.15 15.63 397.51 - 397.70 16.35 412.05 - 412.24 17.07
368.62 - 368.81 14.92 383.16 - 383.36 15.64 397.71 - 397.90 16.36 412.25 - 412.45 17.08
368.82 - 369.01 14.93 383.37 - 383.56 15.65 397.91 - 398.10 16.37 412.46 - 412.65 17.09
369.02 - 369.21 14.94 383.57 - 383.76 15.66 398.11 - 398.31 16.38 412.66 - 412.85 17.10
369.22 - 369.42 14.95 383.77 - 383.96 15.67 398.32 - 398.51 16.39 412.86 - 413.05 17.11
369.43 - 369.62 14.96 383.97 - 384.16 15.68 398.52 - 398.71 16.40 413.06 - 413.25 17.12
369.63 - 369.82 14.97 384.17 - 384.37 15.69 398.72 - 398.91 16.41 413.26 - 413.46 17.13
369.83 - 370.02 14.98 384.38 - 384.57 15.70 398.92 - 399.11 16.42 413.47 - 413.66 17.14
370.03 - 370.22 14.99 384.58 - 384.77 15.71 399.12 - 399.32 16.43 413.67 - 413.86 17.15
370.23 - 370.43 15.00 384.78 - 384.97 15.72 399.33 - 399.52 16.44 413.87 - 414.06 17.16
370.44 - 370.63 15.01 384.98 - 385.17 15.73 399.53 - 399.72 16.45 414.07 - 414.26 17.17
370.64 - 370.83 15.02 385.18 - 385.38 15.74 399.73 - 399.92 16.46 414.27 - 414.47 17.18
370.84 - 371.03 15.03 385.39 - 385.58 15.75 399.93 - 400.12 16.47 414.48 - 414.67 17.19
371.04 - 371.23 15.04 385.59 - 385.78 15.76 400.13 - 400.33 16.48 414.68 - 414.87 17.20
371.24 - 371.44 15.05 385.79 - 385.98 15.77 400.34 - 400.53 16.49 414.88 - 415.07 17.21
371.45 - 371.64 15.06 385.99 - 386.18 15.78 400.54 - 400.73 16.50 415.08 - 415.27 17.22
371.65 - 371.84 15.07 386.19 - 386.39 15.79 400.74 - 400.93 16.51 415.28 - 415.48 17.23
371.85 - 372.04 15.08 386.40 - 386.59 15.80 400.94 - 401.13 16.52 415.49 - 415.68 17.24
372.05 - 372.24 15.09 386.60 - 386.79 15.81 401.14 - 401.34 16.53 415.69 - 415.88 17.25
372.25 - 372.45 15.10 386.80 - 386.99 15.82 401.35 - 401.54 16.54 415.89 - 416.08 17.26
372.46 - 372.65 15.11 387.00 - 387.19 15.83 401.55 - 401.74 16.55 416.09 - 416.28 17.27
Employee's maximum CPP contribution for the year 2009 is $2,118.60 B-6 La cotisation maximale de l'employé au RPC pour l'année 2009 est de 2 118,60 $

118 | APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT © OPEN SCHOOL BC

Data Page 4 Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10
 The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages

Employment Insurance Premiums Cotisations à l'assurance-emploi

Insurable Earnings EI Insurable Earnings EI Insurable Earnings EI Insurable Earnings EI
Rémunération assurable premium Rémunération assurable premium Rémunération assurable premium Rémunération assurable premium
Cotisation Cotisation Cotisation Cotisation
From - De To - À d'AE From - De To - À d'AE From - De To - À d'AE From - De To - À d'AE
333.24 - 333.81 5.77 374.86 - 375.43 6.49 416.48 - 417.05 7.21 458.10 - 458.67 7.93
333.82 - 334.39 5.78 375.44 - 376.01 6.50 417.06 - 417.63 7.22 458.68 - 459.24 7.94
334.40 - 334.97 5.79 376.02 - 376.58 6.51 417.64 - 418.20 7.23 459.25 - 459.82 7.95
334.98 - 335.54 5.80 376.59 - 377.16 6.52 418.21 - 418.78 7.24 459.83 - 460.40 7.96
335.55 - 336.12 5.81 377.17 - 377.74 6.53 418.79 - 419.36 7.25 460.41 - 460.98 7.97
336.13 - 336.70 5.82 377.75 - 378.32 6.54 419.37 - 419.94 7.26 460.99 - 461.56 7.98
336.71 - 337.28 5.83 378.33 - 378.90 6.55 419.95 - 420.52 7.27 461.57 - 462.13 7.99
337.29 - 337.86 5.84 378.91 - 379.47 6.56 420.53 - 421.09 7.28 462.14 - 462.71 8.00
337.87 - 338.43 5.85 379.48 - 380.05 6.57 421.10 - 421.67 7.29 462.72 - 463.29 8.01
338.44 - 339.01 5.86 380.06 - 380.63 6.58 421.68 - 422.25 7.30 463.30 - 463.87 8.02
339.02 - 339.59 5.87 380.64 - 381.21 6.59 422.26 - 422.83 7.31 463.88 - 464.45 8.03
339.60 - 340.17 5.88 381.22 - 381.79 6.60 422.84 - 423.41 7.32 464.46 - 465.02 8.04
340.18 - 340.75 5.89 381.80 - 382.36 6.61 423.42 - 423.98 7.33 465.03 - 465.60 8.05
340.76 - 341.32 5.90 382.37 - 382.94 6.62 423.99 - 424.56 7.34 465.61 - 466.18 8.06
341.33 - 341.90 5.91 382.95 - 383.52 6.63 424.57 - 425.14 7.35 466.19 - 466.76 8.07
341.91 - 342.48 5.92 383.53 - 384.10 6.64 425.15 - 425.72 7.36 466.77 - 467.34 8.08
342.49 - 343.06 5.93 384.11 - 384.68 6.65 425.73 - 426.30 7.37 467.35 - 467.91 8.09
343.07 - 343.64 5.94 384.69 - 385.26 6.66 426.31 - 426.87 7.38 467.92 - 468.49 8.10
343.65 - 344.21 5.95 385.27 - 385.83 6.67 426.88 - 427.45 7.39 468.50 - 469.07 8.11
344.22 - 344.79 5.96 385.84 - 386.41 6.68 427.46 - 428.03 7.40 469.08 - 469.65 8.12
344.80 - 345.37 5.97 386.42 - 386.99 6.69 428.04 - 428.61 7.41 469.66 - 470.23 8.13
345.38 - 345.95 5.98 387.00 - 387.57 6.70 428.62 - 429.19 7.42 470.24 - 470.80 8.14
345.96 - 346.53 5.99 387.58 - 388.15 6.71 429.20 - 429.76 7.43 470.81 - 471.38 8.15
346.54 - 347.10 6.00 388.16 - 388.72 6.72 429.77 - 430.34 7.44 471.39 - 471.96 8.16
347.11 - 347.68 6.01 388.73 - 389.30 6.73 430.35 - 430.92 7.45 471.97 - 472.54 8.17
347.69 - 348.26 6.02 389.31 - 389.88 6.74 430.93 - 431.50 7.46 472.55 - 473.12 8.18
348.27 - 348.84 6.03 389.89 - 390.46 6.75 431.51 - 432.08 7.47 473.13 - 473.69 8.19
348.85 - 349.42 6.04 390.47 - 391.04 6.76 432.09 - 432.65 7.48 473.70 - 474.27 8.20
349.43 - 349.99 6.05 391.05 - 391.61 6.77 432.66 - 433.23 7.49 474.28 - 474.85 8.21
350.00 - 350.57 6.06 391.62 - 392.19 6.78 433.24 - 433.81 7.50 474.86 - 475.43 8.22
350.58 - 351.15 6.07 392.20 - 392.77 6.79 433.82 - 434.39 7.51 475.44 - 476.01 8.23
351.16 - 351.73 6.08 392.78 - 393.35 6.80 434.40 - 434.97 7.52 476.02 - 476.58 8.24
351.74 - 352.31 6.09 393.36 - 393.93 6.81 434.98 - 435.54 7.53 476.59 - 477.16 8.25
352.32 - 352.89 6.10 393.94 - 394.50 6.82 435.55 - 436.12 7.54 477.17 - 477.74 8.26
352.90 - 353.46 6.11 394.51 - 395.08 6.83 436.13 - 436.70 7.55 477.75 - 478.32 8.27
353.47 - 354.04 6.12 395.09 - 395.66 6.84 436.71 - 437.28 7.56 478.33 - 478.90 8.28
354.05 - 354.62 6.13 395.67 - 396.24 6.85 437.29 - 437.86 7.57 478.91 - 479.47 8.29
354.63 - 355.20 6.14 396.25 - 396.82 6.86 437.87 - 438.43 7.58 479.48 - 480.05 8.30
355.21 - 355.78 6.15 396.83 - 397.39 6.87 438.44 - 439.01 7.59 480.06 - 480.63 8.31
355.79 - 356.35 6.16 397.40 - 397.97 6.88 439.02 - 439.59 7.60 480.64 - 481.21 8.32
356.36 - 356.93 6.17 397.98 - 398.55 6.89 439.60 - 440.17 7.61 481.22 - 481.79 8.33
356.94 - 357.51 6.18 398.56 - 399.13 6.90 440.18 - 440.75 7.62 481.80 - 482.36 8.34
357.52 - 358.09 6.19 399.14 - 399.71 6.91 440.76 - 441.32 7.63 482.37 - 482.94 8.35
358.10 - 358.67 6.20 399.72 - 400.28 6.92 441.33 - 441.90 7.64 482.95 - 483.52 8.36
358.68 - 359.24 6.21 400.29 - 400.86 6.93 441.91 - 442.48 7.65 483.53 - 484.10 8.37
359.25 - 359.82 6.22 400.87 - 401.44 6.94 442.49 - 443.06 7.66 484.11 - 484.68 8.38
359.83 - 360.40 6.23 401.45 - 402.02 6.95 443.07 - 443.64 7.67 484.69 - 485.26 8.39
360.41 - 360.98 6.24 402.03 - 402.60 6.96 443.65 - 444.21 7.68 485.27 - 485.83 8.40
360.99 - 361.56 6.25 402.61 - 403.17 6.97 444.22 - 444.79 7.69 485.84 - 486.41 8.41
361.57 - 362.13 6.26 403.18 - 403.75 6.98 444.80 - 445.37 7.70 486.42 - 486.99 8.42
362.14 - 362.71 6.27 403.76 - 404.33 6.99 445.38 - 445.95 7.71 487.00 - 487.57 8.43
362.72 - 363.29 6.28 404.34 - 404.91 7.00 445.96 - 446.53 7.72 487.58 - 488.15 8.44
363.30 - 363.87 6.29 404.92 - 405.49 7.01 446.54 - 447.10 7.73 488.16 - 488.72 8.45
363.88 - 364.45 6.30 405.50 - 406.06 7.02 447.11 - 447.68 7.74 488.73 - 489.30 8.46
364.46 - 365.02 6.31 406.07 - 406.64 7.03 447.69 - 448.26 7.75 489.31 - 489.88 8.47
365.03 - 365.60 6.32 406.65 - 407.22 7.04 448.27 - 448.84 7.76 489.89 - 490.46 8.48
365.61 - 366.18 6.33 407.23 - 407.80 7.05 448.85 - 449.42 7.77 490.47 - 491.04 8.49
366.19 - 366.76 6.34 407.81 - 408.38 7.06 449.43 - 449.99 7.78 491.05 - 491.61 8.50
366.77 - 367.34 6.35 408.39 - 408.95 7.07 450.00 - 450.57 7.79 491.62 - 492.19 8.51
367.35 - 367.91 6.36 408.96 - 409.53 7.08 450.58 - 451.15 7.80 492.20 - 492.77 8.52
367.92 - 368.49 6.37 409.54 - 410.11 7.09 451.16 - 451.73 7.81 492.78 - 493.35 8.53
368.50 - 369.07 6.38 410.12 - 410.69 7.10 451.74 - 452.31 7.82 493.36 - 493.93 8.54
369.08 - 369.65 6.39 410.70 - 411.27 7.11 452.32 - 452.89 7.83 493.94 - 494.50 8.55
369.66 - 370.23 6.40 411.28 - 411.84 7.12 452.90 - 453.46 7.84 494.51 - 495.08 8.56
370.24 - 370.80 6.41 411.85 - 412.42 7.13 453.47 - 454.04 7.85 495.09 - 495.66 8.57
370.81 - 371.38 6.42 412.43 - 413.00 7.14 454.05 - 454.62 7.86 495.67 - 496.24 8.58
371.39 - 371.96 6.43 413.01 - 413.58 7.15 454.63 - 455.20 7.87 496.25 - 496.82 8.59
371.97 - 372.54 6.44 413.59 - 414.16 7.16 455.21 - 455.78 7.88 496.83 - 497.39 8.60
372.55 - 373.12 6.45 414.17 - 414.73 7.17 455.79 - 456.35 7.89 497.40 - 497.97 8.61
373.13 - 373.69 6.46 414.74 - 415.31 7.18 456.36 - 456.93 7.90 497.98 - 498.55 8.62
373.70 - 374.27 6.47 415.32 - 415.89 7.19 456.94 - 457.51 7.91 498.56 - 499.13 8.63
374.28 - 374.85 6.48 415.90 - 416.47 7.20 457.52 - 458.09 7.92 499.14 - 499.71 8.64

Yearly maximum insurable earnings are $42,300 Le maximum annuel de la rémunération assurable est de 42 300 $
Yearly maximum employee premiums are $731.79 La cotisation maximale annuelle de l'employé est de 731,79 $
The premium rate for 2009 is 1.73 % Le taux de cotisation pour 2009 est de 1,73 %
C-3

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 119

Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10 Data Page 5
The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages
Federal tax deductions Retenues d'impôt fédéral
Effective January 1, 2009 En vigueur le 1er janvier 2009
Weekly (52 pay periods a year) Hebdomadaire (52 périodes de paie par année)
Also look up the tax deductions Cherchez aussi les retenues d'impôt
in the provincial table dans la table provinciale
Pay Federal claim codes/Codes de demande fédéraux
Rémunération 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

From Less than Deduct from each pay

De Moins de Retenez sur chaque paie

335 - 339 44.65 15.55 12.70 7.00 1.30

339 - 343 45.20 16.10 13.25 7.55 1.85
343 - 347 45.80 16.65 13.80 8.10 2.45
347 - 351 46.35 17.20 14.35 8.65 3.00
351 - 355 46.90 17.75 14.90 9.25 3.55
355 - 359 47.45 18.35 15.50 9.80 4.10
359 - 363 48.00 18.90 16.05 10.35 4.65
363 - 367 48.60 19.45 16.60 10.90 5.25
367 - 371 49.15 20.00 17.15 11.45 5.80 .10
371 - 375 49.70 20.55 17.70 12.05 6.35 .65
375 - 379 50.25 21.15 18.30 12.60 6.90 1.20
379 - 383 50.80 21.70 18.85 13.15 7.45 1.80
383 - 387 51.40 22.25 19.40 13.70 8.00 2.35
387 - 391 51.95 22.80 19.95 14.25 8.60 2.90
391 - 395 52.50 23.35 20.50 14.85 9.15 3.45
395 - 399 53.05 23.95 21.10 15.40 9.70 4.00
399 - 403 53.60 24.50 21.65 15.95 10.25 4.60
403 - 407 54.20 25.05 22.20 16.50 10.80 5.15
407 - 411 54.75 25.60 22.75 17.05 11.40 5.70
411 - 415 55.30 26.15 23.30 17.65 11.95 6.25 .55
415 - 419 55.85 26.75 23.90 18.20 12.50 6.80 1.15
419 - 423 56.40 27.30 24.45 18.75 13.05 7.40 1.70
423 - 427 57.00 27.85 25.00 19.30 13.60 7.95 2.25
427 - 431 57.55 28.40 25.55 19.85 14.20 8.50 2.80
431 - 435 58.10 28.95 26.10 20.45 14.75 9.05 3.35
435 - 439 58.65 29.50 26.70 21.00 15.30 9.60 3.95
439 - 443 59.20 30.10 27.25 21.55 15.85 10.20 4.50
443 - 447 59.80 30.65 27.80 22.10 16.40 10.75 5.05
447 - 451 60.35 31.20 28.35 22.65 17.00 11.30 5.60
451 - 455 60.90 31.75 28.90 23.25 17.55 11.85 6.15 .50
455 - 459 61.45 32.30 29.50 23.80 18.10 12.40 6.75 1.05
459 - 463 62.00 32.90 30.05 24.35 18.65 12.95 7.30 1.60
463 - 467 62.60 33.45 30.60 24.90 19.20 13.55 7.85 2.15
467 - 471 63.15 34.00 31.15 25.45 19.80 14.10 8.40 2.70
471 - 475 63.70 34.55 31.70 26.05 20.35 14.65 8.95 3.30
475 - 479 64.25 35.10 32.30 26.60 20.90 15.20 9.55 3.85
479 - 483 64.80 35.70 32.85 27.15 21.45 15.75 10.10 4.40
483 - 487 65.40 36.25 33.40 27.70 22.00 16.35 10.65 4.95
487 - 491 65.95 36.80 33.95 28.25 22.60 16.90 11.20 5.50
491 - 495 66.50 37.35 34.50 28.85 23.15 17.45 11.75 6.10 .40
495 - 499 67.05 37.90 35.10 29.40 23.70 18.00 12.35 6.65 .95
499 - 503 67.60 38.50 35.65 29.95 24.25 18.55 12.90 7.20 1.50
503 - 507 68.20 39.05 36.20 30.50 24.80 19.15 13.45 7.75 2.05
507 - 511 68.75 39.60 36.75 31.05 25.40 19.70 14.00 8.30 2.65
511 - 515 69.30 40.15 37.30 31.65 25.95 20.25 14.55 8.90 3.20
515 - 519 69.85 40.70 37.90 32.20 26.50 20.80 15.15 9.45 3.75
519 - 523 70.40 41.30 38.45 32.75 27.05 21.35 15.70 10.00 4.30
523 - 527 71.00 41.85 39.00 33.30 27.60 21.95 16.25 10.55 4.85
527 - 531 71.55 42.40 39.55 33.85 28.20 22.50 16.80 11.10 5.45
531 - 535 72.10 42.95 40.10 34.45 28.75 23.05 17.35 11.70 6.00 .30
535 - 539 72.65 43.50 40.70 35.00 29.30 23.60 17.90 12.25 6.55 .85
539 - 543 73.20 44.10 41.25 35.55 29.85 24.15 18.50 12.80 7.10 1.40
543 - 547 73.80 44.65 41.80 36.10 30.40 24.75 19.05 13.35 7.65 2.00
547 - 551 74.35 45.20 42.35 36.65 31.00 25.30 19.60 13.90 8.25 2.55
551 - 555 74.90 45.75 42.90 37.25 31.55 25.85 20.15 14.50 8.80 3.10
This table is available on TOD D-2 Vous pouvez obtenir cette table sur TSD

120 | APPRENTICESHIP
Data Page 6 AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT © OPENMathematics
Apprenticeship and Workplace SCHOOL BC10
 The Imperial System—Appendix —Data Pages
British Columbia provincial tax deductions Retenues d'impôt provincial de la Colombie-Britannique
Effective January 1, 2009 En vigueur le 1er janvier 2009
Weekly (52 pay periods a year) Hebdomadaire (52 périodes de paie par année)
Also look up the tax deductions Cherchez aussi les retenues d'impôt
in the federal table dans la table fédérale
Pay Provincial claim codes/Codes de demande provinciaux
Rémunération 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

From Less than Deduct from each pay

De Moins de Retenez sur chaque paie

343 * .00 *You normally use claim code ''0'' only for
non-resident employees. However, if you
343 - 345 9.30 .20
have non-resident employees who earn less
345 - 347 9.45 .35 than the minimum amount shown in the ''Pay''
347 - 349 9.60 .50 column, you may not be able to use these
tables. Instead, refer to the ''Step-by-step
349 - 351 9.80 .65 calculation of tax deductions'' in Section ''A''
351 - 353 9.95 .80 of this publication.
353 - 355 10.10 .95
*Le code de demande «0» est normalement
355 - 357 10.25 1.15 .10 utilisé seulement pour les non-résidents.
357 - 359 10.40 1.30 .25 Cependant, si la rémunération de votre
employé non résidant est inférieure au
359 - 361 10.55 1.45 .40
montant minimum indiqué dans la colonne
361 - 363 10.75 1.60 .60 «Rémunération», vous ne pourrez peut-être
363 - 365 10.90 1.75 .75 pas utiliser ces tables. Reportez-vous
alors au «Calcul des retenues d'impôt, étape
365 - 367 11.05 1.90 .90 par étape» dans la section «A» de
367 - 369 11.20 2.10 1.05 cette publication.
369 - 371 11.35 2.25 1.20
371 - 373 11.50 2.40 1.35
373 - 375 11.70 2.55 1.55
375 - 377 11.85 2.70 1.70
377 - 379 12.00 2.90 1.85
379 - 381 12.15 3.05 2.00
381 - 383 12.30 3.20 2.15 .10
383 - 385 12.45 3.35 2.30 .25
385 - 387 12.65 3.50 2.50 .45
387 - 389 12.80 3.65 2.65 .60
389 - 391 12.95 3.85 2.80 .75
391 - 393 13.10 4.00 2.95 .90
393 - 395 13.25 4.15 3.10 1.05
395 - 397 13.40 4.30 3.30 1.20
397 - 399 13.60 4.45 3.45 1.40
399 - 401 13.75 4.60 3.60 1.55
401 - 403 13.90 4.80 3.75 1.70
403 - 405 14.05 4.95 3.90 1.85
405 - 407 14.20 5.10 4.05 2.00
407 - 409 14.35 5.25 4.25 2.15 .10
409 - 411 14.55 5.40 4.40 2.35 .30
411 - 413 14.70 5.55 4.55 2.50 .45
413 - 415 14.85 5.75 4.70 2.65 .60
415 - 417 15.00 5.90 4.85 2.80 .75
417 - 419 15.15 6.05 5.00 2.95 .90
419 - 421 15.30 6.20 5.20 3.10 1.05
421 - 423 15.50 6.35 5.35 3.30 1.25
423 - 425 15.65 6.50 5.50 3.45 1.40
425 - 427 15.80 6.70 5.65 3.60 1.55
427 - 429 15.95 6.85 5.80 3.75 1.70
429 - 431 16.10 7.00 5.95 3.90 1.85
431 - 433 16.25 7.15 6.15 4.10 2.00
433 - 435 16.45 7.30 6.30 4.25 2.20 .15
435 - 437 16.60 7.45 6.45 4.40 2.35 .30
437 - 439 16.75 7.65 6.60 4.55 2.50 .45
439 - 441 16.90 7.80 6.75 4.70 2.65 .60
441 - 443 17.05 7.95 6.90 4.85 2.80 .75
443 - 445 17.20 8.10 7.10 5.05 2.95 .90
445 - 447 17.40 8.25 7.25 5.20 3.15 1.10
447 - 449 17.55 8.40 7.40 5.35 3.30 1.25
449 - 451 17.70 8.60 7.55 5.50 3.45 1.40
This table is available on TOD E-1 Vous pouvez obtenir cette table sur TSD

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 121

Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10 Data Page 7
 The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Solutions
Lesson A: Length
Lesson A: Activity 1: Try This

1. Answers will vary. Answers should be between 10 and 14.

2. Answers will vary based on your answer from #1. For example, if you said that
1
your foot was 11 thumb-widths long, then the fraction would be . Your
11
thumb width is one eleventh of the length of your foot.

Lesson A: Activity 2: Self-Check

3 7 3 23
1. +1 = +
8 16 8 16
3 × 2 23
= +
8 × 2 16
6 23
= +
16 16
29
=
16
13
=1
16

1 3 5 3
2. 2 − = −
2 4 2 4
5× 2 3
= −
2 ×2 4
10 3
= −
4 4
7
=
4
3
=1
4

© OPEN SCHOOL BC APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT | 123

The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson A: Activity 3: Try This

1
1. The longest lines are at whole inches. The slightly shorter lines are at the -in
2
mark.
1
2. The next shorter lines mark in.
4
1
3. The next shorter lines mark in.
8

1
4. a. 4 in
4
7
b. 3 in
8
15
c. 2 in
16
1
d. 2 in
2
5. Answers will vary depending on the objects you chose. Ask a family member to
check your work.

Lesson A: Activity 4: Self-Check

1. a. You can find the solution by looking at your ruler, or by subtracting. The
solution below shows the subtraction method.

1 3 1× 8 3
5 − =5 −
2 16 2 × 8 16
8 3
=5 −
16 16
5
=5
16

5
The planed width will be 5 inches.
16

124 | APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT © OPEN SCHOOL BC

 The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

b. You can find the solution by looking at your ruler, or by subtracting. The
solution below shows the subtraction method.
1 5 1 ×16 5
5 − =5 −
2 32 2 ×16 32
16 5
=5 −
32 32
11 11
=5 The planed width will be 5 inches.
32 32

Lesson A: Activity 5: Self-Check

1. Divide 93 in by 12.
93
= 7.75
12
She is more than 7 ft tall.
Continue the calculation:
7ft = (7 ×12) in
= 84 in

93 in − 84 in = 9 in

So, 93 in = 84 in + 9 in
= 7 ft 9 in
= 7' 9"

De-Fen Yao is 7’9” tall.

You could also do this conversion using long division.

7
)
12 93
84
9
9
=
93 in 7= ft 7 ft 9 in
12
3 3
2. 16 ft 6 in = 16 ×12 in + 6 in
4 4
= 192 in + 6 in
3
= 198 in
4
3
2 in.
The 2008 women’s Olympic record in pole vaulting is 198 
4

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

3. First convert all measures to inches.

7 ft = 7 ×12 in
= 84 in

1 ft 3 in = 1 ×12 in + 3 in
= 12 in + 3 in
= 15 in
84 in – 15 in = 69 in

Now convert 69 in to feet and inches.

5
)
12 69
60
9
9
=
69 in 5= ft 5 ft 9 in
12
After the cut, the board is 5 ft 9 in long.

Another method involves subtracting the feet and then taking 3” off that
difference:
7’ – 1’ = 6’

6’ less 3” is the same as 5’12” less 3”, which is 5’9”.

4. 5 ft 7 in + 3 ft 4 in + 6 ft 5 in =14 ft 16 in
But,

16 in = 12 in + 4 in, or 1 ft 4 in

So,

5 ft 7 in +3 ft 4 in + 6 ft 5 in =14 ft + 1ft 4 in
= 15 ft 4 in

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Another method is to convert all measurements to inches, add these numbers of

inches, and then express the measurement in feet and inches.
5 ft 7 in = 5 ×12 in + 7 in
= 67 in

3 ft 4 in = 3 ×12 in + 4 in
= 40 in

6 ft 5 in = 6 ×12 in + 5 in
= 77 in

67 in + 40 in + 77 in
= 184 in

184 in
= 15.33
12
184 in is more than 15 ft.
Continue the calculation:
15 ft = 15 ×12 in
= 180 in

184 in = 180 in + 4 in
= 15 ft 4 in

Lesson A: Activity 6: Try This

1 mi = 1760 yd
1 yd = 3 ft
1 ft = 12 in

Lesson A: Activity 7: Self-Check

1. Let x be the length of the golf course in miles.

x 1 mi
=
6114 yd 1760 yd
x(1760 yd ) = (1 mi)(6114 yd)

(1 mi)(6114 yd)
x=
(1760 yd )
x = 3.4738...
The course is about 3.5 mi long.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

1
2. mile = 0.25 mi The conversion factor is 1760. You
4
= (0.25 ×1760) yd multiply because yards are smaller than
yards so there will be more of them.
= 440 yd
A quarter mile is 440 yd, so Marcie’s friend lives 440 yd off the main road.

3. perimeter of quarter section = 4 × 0.5 mi

= 2 mi
2 mi = (2 × 5280) ft
= 10 560 ft
A total of 10 560 ft of fencing is need to enclose the quarter section.

4. 110 yd = (110 × 3) ft
= 330 ft
There are 330 ft in 110 yd.

5. Barbara needs a quarter of a mile of fencing. (One quarter mile = 0.25 mi)
1 mile = 1760 yards and 1 yard = 3 feet
0.25 mi = (0.25 ×1760) yd
Convert to yards first.
= 440 yd
440 yd = (440 × 3) ft
Then convert to feet.
= 1320 ft

For the fencing, she will use three strands of wire. So,
1320 ft × 3 = 3960 ft
Barbara needs 3960 ft of wire.

Lesson A: Activity 8: Self-Check

1. 1 in = 2.54 cm
Let n be the diagonal of the television in centimetres.
n 2.54 cm
=
21 in 1 in
n(1 in) = (2.54 cm)(21 in)

(2.54 cm)(21 in)

n=
(1 in)
n = 53.34 cm

The screen measures 53.34 cm diagonal.

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2. 1 in = 2.54 cm
So,
2 in = (2 × 2.54)cm
= 5.08 cm
1 ft = 30.48 cm

So,
6 ft = (6 × 30.48)cm
= 182.88 cm
Then,
6 ft 2 in = 182.88 cm + 5.08 cm
= 187.96 cm
Jack’s height is about 188 cm.

The following alternate solution is based on converting the measurement

completely into inches and then into centimetres.

1 ft = 12 in
So,
6 ft = 6 ×12 in
= 72 in
6 ft 2 in = 72 in + 2 in
= 74 in
Jack’s height is 74”. Now convert his height to centimetres.

1 in = 2.54 cm
So,
74 in = 74 × 2.54 cm
= 187.96 cm
= 188 cm
Jack’s height is about 188 cm.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

3. 1 mi = 1.6 km
Let n be the distance from Michael’s house to the Red Pheasant First Nation in
miles.
n 1 mi
=
12.3 km 1.6 km
n(1.6 km) = (1 mi)(12.3 km)

(1 mi)(12.3 km)
n=
(1.6 km)
n = 7.6875 mi
Michael lives about 7.7 mi from Red Pheasant First Nation.

Lesson B: Area

Lesson B: Activity 1: Try This

1. They calculated the wrong answer. All of the steps are done correctly until the
final calculation. Maybe they pressed the wrong key on their calculator!

2. Round 1760 yards to 2000 yards.

Round 39 miles to 40 miles.
let x = the distance in yards
x 1800 yd
=
40 mi 1 mi
x(1 mi) = (1800 yd)(40 mi)

(1800 yd)(40 mi)

x=
(1 mi)
x = 72 000 yd

The answer should be around 72 000 yd. Since we rounded both numbers up,
our actual answer will probably be a bit lower than our estimate.

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3. let x = the distance in yards

x 1760 yd
=
39 mi 1 mi
x(1 mi) = (1760 yd)(39 mi)
(1760 yd)(39 mi)
x=
(1 mi)
x = 68 640 yd

39 miles is equal to 68 640 yards.

4. If the student had estimated before solving the problem, he or she would have
realized that the calculated solution was incorrect. Then the student could have
gone back, found the error, and fixed it.

Lesson B: Activity 2: Try This

1. 31 × 5280
estimate: 30 x 5000 = 150 000
exact product: 31 × 5280 = 163 680
The estimate and exact product are fairly close.

2. 480 × 12
estimate: 500 × 10 = 5000
exact product: 480 × 12 = 5760
The estimate and exact product are fairly close.

3. 13 × 27
estimate: 10 × 30 = 300
exact product: 13 × 27 = 351
The estimate and exact product are fairly close.

4. 162.5 × 144
estimate: 200 × 100 = 20 000
exact product: 162.5 × 144 = 23 400
The estimate and exact product are fairly close even though the factors change
considerably when rounded.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson B: Activity 3: Try This

1. a. Nine squares, each 1 ft on a side, are needed to form a larger square 1 yd on
each side.
b. One square yard equals 9 square feet.

2. a. There are 12 rows of 12 square inches, so there are 144 square inches in a
square foot.
b. Answers will vary. A sample answer is given.
You may have used the square inch to see how many rows of square inches
would fit in a square foot, and how many square inches would fit in a row.
Or, you may have used your ruler to draw a grid that
shows how many square inches fit in a square foot.

Lesson B: Activity 4: Self-Check

1. Estimate the answer.
10 ft 9 in is close to 11 ft.
11 ft 6 in is close to 12 ft.
The required answer will be less but close to 11 ft × 12 ft or 132 ft2.

Next calculate a more precise answer.

9
First make sure the dimensions are in feet (not inches). 10 ft 9 in = 10 ft
12
Notice that we can reduce the fraction by dividing the numerator and the
denominator by a common factor of 3.
9 3
10 ft = 10 ft
12 4
6
11 ft 6 in = 11 ft
12
1
= 11 ft
2
Now find the area. A = l × w
3 1
= 10 ft ×11 ft
4 2
43 23
= ft × ft
4 2
989 2
= ft
8
5 Jasper will need about 124 ft2 of
= 123 ft 2
8 parquet flooring for his kitchen.

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

2. Find the area of a sheet of paper.

A = l×w
= 8.5 in ×11 in
= 93.4 in 2

Remember, 1 ft2 = 144 in2

Darcy is incorrect. A sheet of printer paper is not close to a square foot. It is
almost 50 in2 smaller.

1260
3. 1260 ft 2 = yd 2
9
= 140 yd 2

Paula’s new house is 140 yd2 in area.

4. Find the area of the lawn.

A = l×w
= 50 ft × 30 ft
= 1500 ft 2
1500 ft 2 = 1000 ft 2 + 500 ft 2

1
500 ft 2 is of 1000 ft 2 .
2
1
Boris will need 6 lb + × 6 lb = 6 + 3 or 9 lb of fertilizer.
2

5. Norma’s two shoes cover 36 in2 + 36 in2 = 72 in2.

Change 72 in2 to square feet.
Remember, 1 ft2 = 144 in2.
So,
72 2
72 in 2 = ft
144
1
= ft 2
2
Norma’s two shoes cover half a square foot!

6. 1 yd = 36 in
1 yd 2 = 1 yd ×1 yd
= 36 in × 36 in
= 1296 in 2

In 1 yd2 there are 1296 in2.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson B: Activity 5: Self-Check

1. There are four quarters in a whole, so there are four quarter sections in one
section.
area of a section = 4 × 160 ac
= 640 ac
There are 640 ac in a section.

2. 1 mi2 = 640 acres

So,
!773 400 $& 2
773 400 ac = ## mi
#" 640 &&%
= 1208.44 mi 2

The area of this land grant is 1208.44 mi2.

3. 320.9 million ac = 320 900 000 ac

1 mi2 = 640 ac
So,
! 320 900 000 $& 2
320 900 000 ac = ### && mi
" 640 %
= 501 406.25 mi 2
In 2009, American farmers planted 501 406.25 mi2 to principal crops.

4. To find how long each side of a square is from its area, you must take the square
root of its area.
From Question 3, you know that the area of the square is 501 406.25 mi2.

501406.25 = 708.10045 19

So, the side length of this square is 708.10045 19 mi.

The side length of a square that enclosed 320.9 million ac is 708 mi,
approximated to the nearest mile.

Therefore, in 2009, the American farmers’ planted acreage was equivalent to the
area enclosed by a square having a side length of 708 mi.

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson B: Activity 6: Self-Check

1. Imperial Metric

1 in2 6.4516 cm2

1 ft2 0.0929 m2

1 yd2 0.8361 m2

1 ac 0.4047 ha

1 mi2 2.5900 km2

Lesson B: Activity 7: Self-Check

1. 1 ac  0.4047 ha

x 0.4047 ha
=
320 ac 1 ac
x(1 ac ) = ( 0.4047 ha )(320 ac )
( 0.4047 ha )(320 ac )
x=
(1 ac )
x = 129.505 ha
Nick planted approximately 129.5 ha of canola.

2. 1 yd 2  0.8361 m2
In this solution, let’s multiply by the conversion factor.

100 yd 2  (100 × 0.8361) m2

 83.61 m2
Morris’s front lawn is about 84 m2.

3. 1 cm2  0.1550 in 2
150 cm2  (150 × 0.1550) in 2
 23.25 in 2
There are about 23.3 square inches of printed area on the invitation.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson B: Activity 8: Mastering Concepts

141 000 homes × 1800 ft2 per home = 253 800 000 ft2

1 mi 2 = 5280 ft × 5280 ft
= 27 878 400 ft 2

new home area = 253 800 000 ft2

! 253 800 000 $& 2
= ### & mi
" 27 878 400 &%
= 9.1038223... mi 2
To the nearest square mile, the new homes constructed in 2009 would cover
about 9 mi2.

Lesson C: Volume and Capacity

Lesson C: Activity 1: Try This

Estimations may vary.

1. Round 41 to one non-zero digit.

41 lies between 40 and 50. Because 41 is closer to 40 than 50, 41 rounds to 40.
Now look at the 35 from the first two digits in the number 35 146.
What two-digit number closest to 35 is divisible by 4 a whole number of times?
35 lies between 32 and 36, which are both divisible by 4, but 36 is closer to 35.
Therefore, round 35 146 to 36 000.
Now 36 000 ÷ 40 = 900.
So, 35 146 ÷ 41 is about 900.
Note that from your calculator, 35 146 ÷ 41 = 857.219 512..., so the estimate was
quite close.

2. estimation: 6600 ÷ 300 = 22

calculation: 6700 ÷ 301 = 22.2913621

3. estimation: 4000 ÷ 500 = 8

calculation: 3758 ÷ 513 = 7.325536062

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

4. estimation: 925 ÷ 25 = 37
calculation: 916 ÷ 22.7 = 40.35242291

5. estimation: 80 000 ÷ 400 = 200

calculation: 81 070 ÷ 403.98 = 200.6782514

Lesson C: Activity 2: Try This

Answers will vary. Sample data is provided in the table and sample calculations are
shown below.

Object Length Width Height

(in) (ft) (in) (ft) (in) (ft)
Microwave oven 20 2 15 1 11 1

Measurement in inches:
V = l ×w ×h
= 20 in ×15 in ×11 in
= 3300 in 3

Measurement in feet:
V = l ×w ×h
= 2 ft ×1 ft ×1 ft
= 2 ft 3

1. You would use cubic inches (in3). When you calculate the volume you multiply
inches × inches × inches which results in inches-cubed – or, cubic inches.

2. You would use cubic feet (ft3). When you calculate the volume you multiply
feet × feet × feet which results in feet -cubed – or, cubic feet.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson C: Activity 3: Self-Check

1. Answers will vary depending on the object you chose for Activity 2. Sample
answers are given below based on the sample answers given for Activity 2.
a. Volume of your object in cubic inches: 3300 in3
Volume of your object in cubic feet: 2 ft3
b. Let n = the volume in cubic feet.
n 1 ft 3
=
3300 in 3 1728 in 3
n(1728 in 3 ) = (1 ft 3 )(3300 in 3 )
(1 ft 3 )(3300 in 3 )
n=
(1728 in 3 )
n = 1.9 ft 3

c. The sample answers are quite close. If your answers were not so close, it
may have been due to how the dimensions of your object were measured.
In Activity 2 you were asked to measure to the nearest inch, and then to the
nearest foot.

• If you rounded all of the dimensions up, the volume you calculated would
be higher than the actual volume.

• If you rounded the dimensions down, then the calculated volume would
be lower than the actual volume.

Here, when you converted the volume given in cubic inches to cubic feet
using a conversion factor, you will have ended up with a volume closer to the
actual volume of the object. This is because measuring to the nearest inch is
more accurate than measuring to the nearest foot.

2. Answers will vary. Sample answers are given.

a. one cubic inch: dental floss dispenser, big toe
b. one cubic foot: kitchen garbage can, small microwave
c. one cubic yard: dishwasher, kitchen stove

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3. 1 ft3 = 1728 in3

You can solve this by either setting up a proportion or dividing by the
conversion factor. We’ll divide by the conversion factor here. (Note: you divide
because cubic feet are smaller than cubic inches, so there will be fewer of them.)
281 3
281 in 3 = ft
1728
= 0.162 615 … ft 3
= 0.16 ft 3
The engine displacement is about 0.16 ft3.

4. Convert each dimension to feet.

24
a. 24 in = ft
12
= 2 ft
18
18 in = ft
12
1
= 1 ft
2
V = l ×w ×h
1 1
= 2 ft ×1 ft ×1 ft
2 2
3 3
= 2 ft × ft × ft
2 2
18 3
= ft
4
2
= 4 ft 3
4
1
= 4 ft 3
2
The volume of the box is 4.5 ft3.
b. 1 yd3 = 27 ft3
You can do the conversion by dividing by the conversion factor.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

1 ! 1 $
c. 4 ft 3 = ##4 ÷ 27&&& yd 3
2 #" 2 %
! 1 1$
= ###4 ' &&& yd 3
" 2 27 %
!9 1 $
= ## ' &&& yd 3
#" 2 27 %
9
= yd 3
54

Lesson C: Activity 4: Self-Check

1. a. There are 4 qt in 1 gal.

b. Since there are 4 qarts in a gallon, and a gallon costs $3.00, you can find the
cost of 1 quart by dividing the cost by 4.
$3.00
cost of 1 qt of milk =
4
= $0.75

2. There are 4 qt in 1 gal.

2
So, 2 qt is or 0.5 gal.
4
1 gal covers 250 ft2.
0.5 gal covers 0.5 × 250 ft2 or 125 ft2.
The area of the garage door is 16 ft × 7 ft = 112 ft2.
Bill has enough paint to cover his garage door.

Lesson C: Activity 5: Self-Check

1. 1 L ≈ 0.26 US gal
To solve this, let’s set up a proportion.
Let x = the amount of paint in litres.
x 1L
=
5 US gal 0.26 US gal
x( 0.26 US gal) = (1 L)(5 US gal)
(1 L)(5 US gal)
x=
( 0.26 US gal)
x = 19.2 L
There are about 19.2 L in five US gallons.

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2. 1 L ≈ 1.06 US qt
Let’s solve this one by dividing by a conversion factor. Remember, you divide
because litres are smaller than US quarts.
! 3 $&
3 US qt = ### &L
"1.06 &%
= 2.8 L
Bill bought about 2.8 L of milk.

3. To solve this one, use the conversion tables from the lesson.
1 gal ≈ 4.55 L
1 L costs $0.936.
So, 4.55 L costs 4.55 × $0.936 or $4.2588.
An imperial gallon costs around $4.26.

4. To solve this one, use the conversion tables from the lesson.
1 m3 ≈ 35.31 ft3
So,
2 m3 = (2 × 35.31) ft3
= 70.62 ft3
There are about 70.6 ft3 in 2 m3 of concrete.

Lesson C: Activity 6: Mastering Concepts

Convert 8 in to feet.
8
8 in = ft
12

volume of topsoil = l × w × h
8
= 21 ft × 3 ft × ft
12
= 42 ft 3

1 yd3 = 27 ft3
42
So, 42 ft 3 = yd 3
27
14
= yd 3
9
5
= 1 yd 3 1 3
9 Since Aaron needs more than 1 yd , he should order 2 yd3.
2

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson D: Mass

Lesson D: Activity 1: Try This

1. Answers will vary. A student’s answer should reflect any discrepancy between
the actual weight of the suitcase and the target weight of 50 lb.

2. Answers will vary. An estimate is not reliable in the face of possible surcharges
for an overweight suitcase. Where a penalty is possible, the suitcase should be
weighed properly using a scale.

Lesson D: Activity 2: Try This

1. Answers will vary. Sample items are given in the table below.

2. The measured weights depend on the items selected. The table below lists items
that weigh close to the target masses.

Item 1 Item 2
Target Mass
(pounds) Measured Mass Measured Mass
Selected Item Selected Item
(pounds) (pounds)
1 pound of butter pint of milk

2 pair of runners textbook

small bag of
5 family pet dog
sugar (2 kg)
bag of flour
10 large pike
(4.5 kg)
20 toddler 2 gal of water

50 heavy suitcase sheet of drywall

large sack of
100 petite woman
potatoes

3. Some of the items may have been selected according to the weight shown on
their label. Other items may have been lifted to gain a sense of their weight.
Also, you may have relied on your experience in handling items to make
selections.

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4. Scales are important in accurately determining the masses of objects. By relying

on your impression or sense of how much an object weighs, one can easily make
errors. If the situation you are in requires only a rough estimate, then scales
aren’t necessary. If your situation requires an accurate measurement, you should
use a scale.

Lesson D: Activity 3: Self-Check

1. 1 dozen eggs = 12 eggs
2 dozen eggs = 2 × 12 or 24 eggs
1 egg = 2 oz
24 eggs = 24 × 2 oz
= 48 oz
1 lb = 16 oz
48
48 oz = lb
16
= 3 lb
Two dozen eggs would weigh 3 lb.

2. 1 lb = 16 oz
5 lb = 5 ×16 oz
= 80 oz

The whole ham weighs 80 oz. Since the butcher is cutting it into 160 slices,
divide the mass by 160.
80 oz
mass of one slice =
160
1
= oz
2
Each slice weighs a half ounce.

Lesson D: Activity 4: Self-Check

1. 1 ton = 2000 lb
5.2 tons = (5.2 !2000) lb
= 10 400 lb
200 bushels = 10 400 lb
"10 400 %'
1 bushel = $$ lb
$# 200 ''&
= 52 lb One bushel of wheat weighed 52 lb.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

2. 1 ton = 2000 lb
1.5 tons = (1.5 × 2000) lb
= 3000 lb
1 yd3 = 27 ft3
1 yd3 = 3000 lb
! 3000 $&
1 ft3 = ### & lb
" 27 &%
= 111.111...
So, 1 ft3 of gravel weighs about 111 lb.

Lesson D: Activity 5: Self-Check

1. 1 kg = 2.20 lb
1 lb costs $0.79.
So, 1 kg costs
$0.79 × 2.20 = $1.738

The cost per kilogram is about $1.74.

2. 1 g = 0.04 oz.
So,
7.3 g = (7.3 × 0.04) oz
= 0.292 oz
≈ 0.3 oz
The two-dollar coin weighs about 0.26 oz.

3. 1 gal = 4.55 L
1 L weighs 1 kg.
So, 1 gallon weighs 4.55 kg.
1 kg = 2.20 lb
Therefore,
4.55 kg = (4.55 × 2.20) lb
= 10.01 6 lb.
To the nearest pound, 1 gallon of water weighs 10 pounds.

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Lesson D: Activity 6: Mastering Concepts

1. Convert 4 inches to feet.

4
4 in = ft
12
volume of concrete = l × w × h
4
= 60 ft × 15 ft × ft
12
= 300 ft3
1 yd3 = 27 ft3
So,
! 300 $& 3
300 ft 3 = ### & yd
" 27 &%
= 11.111...yd 3

1 yd 3 = 4000 lb
4000
= tons
2000
= 2 tons
So,
11.111...yd 3 = 2 ×11.111... tons
= 22.222... tons
= 22.2 tons
The concrete needed for the job weighs about 22.2 tons.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson E: Temperature

Lesson E: Activity 1: Try This

Temperature on the Temperature on the

Situation
Celsius (ºC) scale Fahrenheit (oF) scale
Freezing/Melting Point
0ºC 32ºF
of Water

Ice/Salt Mixture –18ºC (approximately) 0ºF

Body Temperature 37ºC close to 98ºF or 99ºF

Boiling Water 100ºC 212ºF

1. You can conclude from these results that

• 0°C equals about 32°F
• –18°C equals about 0°F
• 37°C equals about 98°F
• 100°C equals about 212°F

Lesson E: Activity 2: Try This

1. There are 100 Celsius degrees between 0ºC (freezing) and 100ºC (boiling).

2. There are 180 Fahrenheit degrees between 32ºF and 212ºF since 212 – 32 = 180.

3. Because there are more Fahrenheit degrees than Celsius degrees between freezing
and boiling, the Celsius degree is larger.
number of Fahrenheit degrees
between boiling and
d freezing 180 9
4. a. = =
number of Celsius degrees 100 5
between boiiling and freezing

number of Celsius degrees

between boiling and frreezing 100 5
b. = =
number of Fahrenheit degrees 180 9
between boiiling and freezing

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9
5. a. 1 Celsius degree = ×1  Fahrenheit degree (since the Celsius degree is larger)
5
5
b. 1 Fahrenheit degree = ×1  Celsius degree (since the Fahrenheit degree is
9
smaller)

Lesson E: Activity 3: Self-Check

1. Normal body temperature is 98.6˚F. Martin’s temperature is 101.3 – 98.6 or

2.7 Fahrenheit degrees above normal.
9
2. F = × C + 32
5
9
= ×(−63) + 32
5
= −113.4 + 32
= −81.4
Canada’s coldest temperature of –63˚C is –81.4˚F.

5
3. C = ×( F − 32)
9
5
= ×(134 − 32)
9
5
= ×(102)
9
= 56.666...

Death Valley was 134˚F or about 56.7˚C.

9
4. F = × C + 32
5
9
= ×160 + 32
5
= 320

An oven temperature of 160˚C is 320˚F.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Solutions

Lesson E: Activity 4: Mastering Concepts

9
1. F = × C + 32
5
9
= ×(−273.15) + 32
5
= −491.67 + 32
= −459.67

The approximate temperature at which molecular motion is at a minimum

is –459.67˚F.

2. Body temperature is about 37°C.

The coldest temperature possible is –273.15˚C.
The difference between these temperatures is
37 – (–273.15) = 37 + 273.15
= 310.15 Celsius degrees
Body temperature on the Kelvin scale is approximately 310 K.

3. Body temperature is 98.6˚F.

The coldest temperature possible is –459.67˚F.
The difference between these temperatures is
98.6 – (–459.67) = 98.6 + 459.67
= 558.27 Fahrenheit degrees
So, body temperature would be 558.27˚R.

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Glossary

Glossary
acre (ac)
a unit of area in the imperial system
An acre is 22 yd wide by 220 yd long or 4840 yd2.

area
a measurement of how many square units into which a surface may be divided
For example, if your living room carpet can be divided into 10 square metres, its
area is 10 m2.

capacity
a measurement of how much a container can hold
Commonly, capacity refers to the amount of liquid that can be poured into a
container, but it can also be used to refer to an amount of solid that can be placed
into a container.

Celsius
a temperature scale commonly used in every major country throughout the world,
except the United States

compatible numbers
numbers that are easy to use in a mental computation, especially division

cubic foot (ft3)

a unit of volume in the imperial system
A cubic foot is the volume of a cube having an edge length of 1 ft.

cubic inch (in3)

a unit of volume in the imperial system
A cubic inch is the volume of a cube having an edge length of 1 in.

cubic yard (yd3)

a unit of volume in the imperial system
A cubic yard is the volume of a cube having an edge length of 1 yd.

foot
a unit of length in the imperial system equal to 12 in
A measure of one foot can be expressed as 1 ft or 1’.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Glossary

gallon (gal)
a measure of capacity in the imperial system
A gallon is 4 qt in size.

hectare
the area of a square 100 m on a side. The symbol for one hectare is 1 ha.

inch
a unit of length in the imperial system
A measure of 1 inch can be written as 1 in or 1”.

kilogram (kg)
the base unit of mass in the metric system
A kilogram is equal to the mass of a certain cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy kept
at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France.

litre (L)
the capacity of a container having a volume of 1000 cm3
Since 1 L = 1000 mL, 1 mL = 1 cm3.

long ton
a unit of weight (mass) in the imperial system
1 long ton = 2240 lb

mass
a measure of the quantity of matter in an object

metre
the base unit of length (or linear measure) in SI

mile(mi)
a unit of length in the imperial system
The mile is defined today as exactly 5280 ft.

ounce (oz)
a unit of weight (mass) in the imperial system
There are 16 oz in 1lb.
1 lb = 16 oz

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 The Imperial System—Appendix —Glossary

pint (pt)
a measure of capacity in the imperial system
A pint is roughly equal to 0.5 L.

pound (lb)
a unit of weight (mass) in the imperial system
One pound is defined as exactly 0.453 592 37 kg.

prism
in geometry, a 3-D object that has two congruent and parallel faces (the top and
bottom bases) and lateral faces that are parallelograms
Such a 3-D object is also known as a rectangular box.
The following is a 3-D object known in geometry as a prism.

proportion
a statement showing one ratio equal to another
1 3
For example, = is a proportion statement.
12 36
quart(qt)
a measure of capacity in the imperial system
There are 2 pt in a quart.
A quart is approximately equal to 1 L.

short ton
a unit of weight (mass) in the imperial system (also called a ton)
1 short ton = 2000 lb

square foot (ft2)

a unit of area in the imperial system
A square foot is the area of a square 1ft on a side.

square inch (in2)

a unit of area in the imperial system
A square inch is the area of a square 1 in on a side.

square mile(mi2)
a unit of area in the imperial system
A square mile is the area of a square 1 mi on a side.

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The Imperial System—Appendix —Glossary

square yard (yd2)

a unit of area in the imperial system
A square yard is the area of a square 1yd on a side.

ton
a unit of weight (mass) in the imperial system (also called a short ton)
1 ton = 2000 lb

tonne (t)
in the metric system, a unit of mass equal to a 1000 kg
1 t = 1000 kg.

volume
a measurement of how many cubic units into which a object or space may be
divided
For example, if your living room is 5 m long by 3 m wide by 3 m high, its volume is
5 m × 3 m × 3 m = 45 m3.

weight
a measure of the force of gravity on an object

yard (yd)
a unit of length in the imperial system
One yard equals 3 ft or 0.9411 m.

152 | APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKPLACE MATHEMATICS ETEXT © OPEN SCHOOL BC