The Rio Grande is the river between Texas and Mexico, but not everyone realizes that it begins in Colorado and flows through New Mexico. The river's total length is 3033000 m. How many kilometers is this?

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Answer 1 · 2016-10-29T19:36:54

This is why derikpittsburgh divide the numbers the way he did.

Kilo means 1000 so Kilometre means 1000 metres

So by using ratio we start with $("Kilometres")/("Metres")->1/1000$

But we have 3033000 metres so our ratio becomes:

$color(brown)(("Kilometres")/("Metres")->1/1000 -=("Kilometres")/3033000)$

Multiply both sides by $color(blue)(303300)$ and we have

$color(brown)(color(blue)(303300xx)1/1000 = ("Kilometres")/3033000color(blue)(xx3033000))$

This is the same as:

$3033000/1000=" Kilometres "xx3033000/3033000$

But $3033000/3033000 = 1$

$3033000/1000=" Kilometres "xx 1$

$"Kilometres "= (3033cancel(000))/(cancel(1000)) " "=" "3033$