Real-Life Math -- Solution
- You have 100 micrograms per cubic meter of formaldehyde, an irritating chemical. It has a gram molecular weight of 30.
Parts per billion = (micrograms per cubic meter x 24.45) / gram molecular weight
Parts per billion = (100 x 24.45) / 30
Parts per billion = 2,445 / 30
Parts per billion = 81.5
There are 81.5 parts per billion of formaldehyde.
- You have 150 micrograms per cubic meter of naphthalene, which is used in mothballs. It has a gram molecular weight of 128.
Parts per billion = (micrograms per cubic meter x 24.45) / gram molecular weight
Parts per billion = (150 x 24.45) / 128
Parts per billion = 3,667.5 / 128
Parts per billion = 28.65
There are 28.65 parts per billion of naphthalene.
"It's important for a lab director to have very good math skills because he or she is constantly double-checking calculations done by computer," says Joseph Guth. He's a former lab director who's also hired lab directors for the labs he has owned and operated.
It's very important for a chemical lab chief to be comfortable with math, agrees Donald Cortes. He's a chemical lab director who tests air quality.
"You need to be good at figuring out how to solve more algebraic-type problems. They're not difficult problems, but you have to be comfortable coming up with methods to do that.
"If you get more into the modeling side, like I do, then you need more of the calculus, differential equations and such," he says. "But usually, if you're a lab director, you don't do a lot of that."
Math is also used for budgeting, since many lab chiefs are responsible for their department's budget.