4. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that the average person consumes no more than 1300 milligrams, mg of calcium each day. Given 1000 mg = 1 g, if a person has already consumed 0.5 g of calcium in a day, what is the maximum number of mg of calcium they can still consume in that same day?
Answer: B
A person can still consume a maximum of 800 mg of calcium in that same day.
After consuming 0.5 g of calcium, which is equivalent to 500 mg, the individual can still consume 800 mg to reach the FDA's recommended daily limit of 1300 mg.
A) 12.5 mg
This option is incorrect because it significantly underestimates the remaining amount of calcium that can be consumed. Given the daily limit of 1300 mg, the maximum remaining after consuming 500 mg would not be as low as 12.5 mg.
B) 800 mg
This option is correct because, having consumed 500 mg already, the individual can still consume an additional 800 mg to meet the FDA's limit of 1300 mg per day. The calculation shows that 1300 mg - 500 mg = 800 mg.
C) 10.8 mg
This option is incorrect as it also underestimates the amount of calcium remaining. The person has not reached the upper limit of calcium intake, and thus, they can consume more than just a mere 10.8 mg.
D) 1299.5 mg
This option is incorrect because it suggests that the individual could consume nearly the entire daily limit after already having consumed 500 mg. The correct remaining amount is strictly 800 mg, not nearly the full 1300 mg.
Conclusion
The correct answer is definitively 800 mg, as it accurately reflects the remaining allowance of calcium intake after accounting for what has already been consumed. All other options incorrectly assess the amount of calcium that can still be ingested, either through significant underestimation or miscalculation against the FDA's recommended daily limit.