Expert: Josh - 3/24/2008

Question
i'm not good in math and im stuck on how to start and find the answer. i was giving the answer of 50.3 per square mile and i,m not sure where to start which is the volume and which is the mass. population is 3,579,212 and land area is 69,898 square miles.

Answer
Hi Melanie

Density can be defined in a number of ways depending on the context. In chemistry, the density of a metal measures how much mass there is in a given volume. An appropriate unit for measuring the density of material is g/cm^3. This forms a basis for comparison as we effectively consider the weight of material having the same size.

Here, we are interested in population density. i.e., how many people occupy an area of space. To calculate this, we simply divide the number of people in the state of Oklahoma (3579212) by the area covered by Oklahoma (69898 [square miles]).

3579212/69898 = 51.2062

It's important to include relevant units in your answer, since a number is meaningless on its own. The answer is approximately 51 people per square mile. You can write this as 51 ppl/mi^2; where ^2 means the "2" is written as superscript.

Problem solving is not so bad if we are methodical in our approach. First, we need to be clear "what" exactly the question asks us to find. If anything is unclear, ask someone for clarification. Second, we carefully devise a strategy to solve the problem. This is the "how" to solve it part.

Usually we learn from examples and much insight is gained from experience. You will develop a feel for each type of problem. The good thing about not being very good at the moment is that you have much room for improvement. You CAN improve if you practice lots and trust that hard work pays off. I encourage you NOT to give up.

When you go through examples in your notes or textbook, make sure you thoroughly understand the reasoning behind each step. Leave nothing vague slip you by. If you cannot explain a concept to someone satisfactorily, then you have not mastered a concept well enough. Those little mysteries would appear as cracks that will eventually bring your foundation undone. There is a method or key to every problem; make sure you choose the right one. Good luck with your studies!