how many cans of soda would be lethal?

Question

If the caffeine concentration in a particular brand of soda is 2.77 mg/oz, drinking how many cans of soda would be lethal? Assume 10.0 grams of caffeine is a lethal dose, and there are 12 oz in a can.

Answer 1

List what we know:

2.77mg caffeine / 1oz

12oz / 1can

Lethal dose: 10.0g caffeine = 10,000mg caffeine

 

First, find how much caffeine is in one can of soda, then divide that amount by the lethal dose to find the number of cans.

 

(2.77mg caffeine / 1oz) * (12oz / 1can) = 33.24mg caffeine / 1can.

 

(10,000mg caffeine) * (1can / 33.24mg caffeine) = 300.84 cans. Since we can't buy parts of a can of soda, then we have to round up to 301 cans.

 

Notice how all the values were set up as ratios and how the units cancelled.

Answer 2

Tiffany,

 

A single 12 oz can will have 12 (2.77 mg) = 33.24 mg of caffeine.

 

The lethal dose is 10.0 g which is 10,000 mg of caffeine.

 

So it would take 10,000/33.24  = 300.84  or 301 such cans to reach the lethal level.

 

But unstated in this problem is the time period.  10.0 grams of caffein is lethal if consumed in an hour, a day, a month, a year?

 

Assuming you could keep drinking one such can each minute, it would take 5 hours to down 300 cans, and that's not counting bathroom breaks.