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Weight Mystery Case File

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Weight Mystery Case File

A parcel has been mixed up at the village post office. Four sealed items—A, B, C and D—have been weighed, but the labels on the scale-record cards were smudged. Use the evidence to identify each item’s weight and crack the case. Remember: 1 kg = 1,000 g.

Evidence file

The scale records show four readings, but the item labels are missing. The readings are 500 g, 800 g, 1,000 g and 500 g. Each reading belongs to one item. Read the clues carefully; two items may have the same weight.

Item

Weight (g)

Weight (kg)

________

Crack the clues

Show your calculations and use grams or kilograms where they make your reasoning clear.

1.Clue 1: Item A and Item C together weigh 1.8 kg. How many grams is that? Which two readings must belong to A and C?

2.Clue 2: Item B weighs 500 g less than Item C. Which reading is C, and which reading is B? Explain how you know.

3.Use Clue 1 and Clue 2 together to identify the weight of Item A. What reading is left for Item D?

4.Check Clue 3: The heaviest item weighs twice as much as the lightest item. Name the heaviest item and its weight. Name both lightest items if there is a tie, and show the calculation.

5.Add the weights of A, B, C and D. Give the total in grams and kilograms. Is the total between 2.5 kg and 3 kg?

6.Put the four items in order from lightest to heaviest. Show items with equal weights in the same position.

Final checks

The post office needs accurate measurements before the parcel can be sent on.

7.Convert each measurement: 2,500 g = kg; 1.75 kg = g; 3,050 g = kg.

8.A small parcel contains a book weighing 1.2 kg and a tin weighing 850 g. What is their combined weight in kilograms? Show how you converted the units.

9.The parcel limit is 3 kg. The mystery items weigh 2.8 kg altogether. How many grams of capacity remain before the parcel reaches the limit?

10.A scale reading says 1.05 kg. Is this more or less than 1,000 g, and by how many grams?