16. An athlete is competing in the following races: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m. Given 1000 m = 1 kilometer (km), how many km would the athlete run in total?
Answer: B
The athlete would run a total of 18 km.
To determine the total distance the athlete runs, we must first convert each race distance into kilometers. The distances of the races are 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m, which when summed equal 18,000 meters or 18 kilometers.
A) 17,000 km
This option is incorrect because the total distance calculated from the races is 18 km, not 17,000 km. The distances of the races do not add up to this figure, indicating a significant miscalculation.
B) 18 km
This option is correct as the total distance for the races is accurately calculated to be 18 km. The breakdown of each race distance confirms that the sum of 100m + 200m + 400m + 800m + 1500m + 5000m + 10,000m equals 18,000 meters, which is equivalent to 18 kilometers.
C) 18,000 km
This option is incorrect. While it correctly indicates that the total distance is a large number, it mistakenly represents the total in kilometers instead of the accurate total of 18 km. The conversion from meters to kilometers has been improperly interpreted.
D) 18,000,000 km
This option is incorrect as it vastly overstates the total distance. The races' total, when converted correctly from meters to kilometers, does not approach 18 million kilometers, which demonstrates a clear misunderstanding of the conversion and summation process.
Conclusion
The correct total distance the athlete runs is 18 km, which is derived from properly converting and summing the distances of all races. All other options either miscalculate or misinterpret the total distance, underscoring the importance of accurate unit conversion and arithmetic in solving such problems.