Question

a sleep medication is available as 0.25 milligram caplets. the patient is advised by his physician to take 500 mcg at bedtime. how many caplets will he take? the patient would take \square caplets. (type an integer or a decimal.)

Explanation:

Step1: Convert units to be consistent

We know that \(1\) milligram (\(mg\)) \( = 1000\) micrograms (\(mcg\)). So, convert \(0.25\) mg to mcg.
\(0.25\space mg\times\frac{1000\space mcg}{1\space mg}= 250\space mcg\) per caplet.

Step2: Calculate number of caplets

Let \(x\) be the number of caplets. The total mcg needed is \(500\) mcg, and each caplet is \(250\) mcg. So we set up the equation \(250x = 500\). Solving for \(x\), we divide both sides by \(250\): \(x=\frac{500}{250} = 2\).

Answer:

2