Answer to Question #250099 in Physics for Midnight

Question

Despite its importance, very few people around the world get enough potassium. A healthy adult should aim to consume 3500 ⠀ “ 4700 mg daily from food. Nutritional tables give the potassium content of a standard apple ( about 3 apples/lb ) as 186 mg. How many grams of potassium are in 4.25 Kg of apples? Would you recommend apples as a source of potassium? Why or Why not?

Answer 1

3 apples weight one pound. Therefore, three apples weigh 0.454 kg. 0.454 kg of apples contain 186 mg of potassium. Hence, 4.25 kg contain

$$m=\frac{4.25}{0.454}·186=1741\text{ mg}.$$

Therefore, an adult must eat at least 6.5-7 apples a day. Seems too much.