As an alternative to ear tags and lip tattoos, tetracycline (an antibiotic) is used to mark polar bears. The advantages of using tetracycline in this fashion are that it leaves a detectable deposit on the bears’ teeth, it can be administered remotely, and using it doesn’t require that the animal be sedated. If 25 mg/kg is an effective dose, how much tetracycline is needed (in grams) to mark a 880 kg polar bear? Round your answer to two significant figures.

The amount of tetracycline needed for 880 kg of polar bear is 22. grams

Explanation:

We are given:

Effective dose of tetracycline needed = 25 mg/kg = 0.025 g/kg    (Conversion factor:  1 g = 1000 mg)

Mass of the polar bear = 880 kg

Applying unitary method:

For 1 kg of mass, the amount of tetracycline needed is 0.025 grams

So, for 880 kg of mass, the amount of tetracycline needed will be =

Hence, the amount of tetracycline needed for 880 kg of polar bear is 22. grams