💤 Chemistry by Chang – Problem 1.42 | Estimating Time Spent Sleeping | Steemit Science

in Popular STEM2 days ago

Hello Steemit science community! 👋🧠

Here’s an intriguing estimation problem from Raymond Chang’s Chemistry (14th Edition), in Chapter 1: Measurement and the Properties of Matter.
Although it looks simple, this question combines logical reasoning with unit conversion — two skills that are fundamental in scientific problem-solving.


🔹 Problem 1.42:

How much time (in years) does an 80-year-old person spend sleeping during his or her life span?


This problem invites you to think about proportional reasoning — how many hours we sleep per day, and how that accumulates over a lifetime.
It’s a fun example of applying scientific thinking to everyday life, turning a familiar idea (sleep!) into a quantitative exploration.

The process involves:

  • Estimating the number of sleeping hours per day 🕓
  • Converting total hours into days and then into years 🌙

📸 Here’s my detailed step-by-step reasoning and calculation:

Captura desde 2025-12-06 18-58-07.png


It’s amazing to realize how much of our lives we actually spend sleeping — proof that rest truly is one of our greatest needs! 😴
How many years do you think you’ve spent sleeping so far? Let’s discuss it in the comments! 💬

Follow me for more science problems, estimations, and everyday applications from Chang’s Chemistry.