You are composting -

5 lbs of leaves (C:N ~60:1)
5 lbs of grass clippings (C:N ~20:1)
3 lbs of food scraps (C:N ~15:1)
1 lb of newspaper (C:N ~150:1)

What is the C:N ratio of this compost mix?

Question

You are composting -

5 lbs of leaves (C:N ~60:1)
5 lbs of grass clippings (C:N ~20:1)
3 lbs of food scraps (C:N ~15:1)
1 lb of newspaper (C:N ~150:1)

What is the C:N ratio of this compost mix?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We need to determine the overall C:N ratio of the compost mix by combining the components according to their masses.
First, note each component’s C:N ratio (C:N): leaves = 60:1, grass clippings = 20:1, food scraps = 15:1, newspaper = 150:1.
A straightforward way to get the overall C:N is to compute a weighted average of these ratios, weighted by the mass of each component, since more mass of a given ratio contributes more to the total carbon and nitrogen balance.
Compute the weighted sum of C:N contributions:
- Leaves: 5 lb × 60 = 300
- Grass: 5 lb × 20 = 100
- Food scraps: 3 lb × 15 = 45
- Newspaper: 1 lb × 150 = 150
Total weighted C:N numerator = 300 + 100 + 45 + 150 = 595.
Total mass of the mix = 5 + 5 + 3 + 1 = 14 lb.
Now divide the total weighted carbon-to-nitrogen contributions by the total mass to obtain the overall C:N:
595 ÷ 14 ≈ 42.5.
Therefore, the C:N ratio of the mix is about 42.5:1.
Let's examine the other options:
- 50:1 would require a higher combined weight toward high-C:N components (e.g., more newspaper relative to others) than our mass distribution provides, so it’s too high given the actual masses.
- 35:1 is lower than 42.5 and would imply more low-C:N material (or less high-C:N material) influence than present; the weighted calculation shows this isn’t the case here.
- 28:1 is significantly lower, indicating a much larger share of low-C:N material, which contradicts the given masses (especially newspaper’s high C:N but small mass).
- 42.5:1 matches exactly the weighted-average calculation using the provided masses and per-item C:N ratios, so it is the correct result.
In short, applying a mass-weighted average of the component C:N ratios yields 42.5:1, which aligns with option '42.5:1.'

HCS 2200 SP2025 (32331) A4 Quiz: Compost

You are composting - 5 lbs of leaves (C:N ~60:1) 5 lbs of grass clippings (C:N ~20:1) 3 lbs of food scraps (C:N ~15:1) 1 lb of newspaper (C:N ~150:1) What is the C:N ratio of this compost mix?

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

Identify the bond angle and molecular shape of H2O.

Using Dalton's Atomic theory, explain the following observation. Hint: DO NOT answer with a law! The mass of the products at the end of the reaction was the same as the mass of the reactants at the beginning.

The number of valence electrons in a sulfur atom is 16.

If matter is uniform throughout and can be separated into multiple substances by physical means, it is called a(n) ________________.

Circle the letter for all examples of chemical change. Circle all correct answers.

Which of the following Lewis structures are incorrect? There may be more than one.

For 18O2-, identify each of the followingMass Number

Match each of the following experiments with the main result of the experimental work.

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单