A medical technologist draws 15 cc (cubic centimeter) of blood from a patient’s vein. Back in the lab, it is determined that this volume of blood has a mass of 16 g. Estimate the density of the blood in SI units.

THINKING IT THROUGH. The data are given in cgs

(centimeter-

gram-second) units, which are often used for practicality when dealing with small, whole-number quantities in some situations.

The cc abbreviation is commonly used in the medical and chemistry fields for cm3. Density (ρ) is mass per unit volume, where

ρ = m/V.