How Much Gypsum Does One Person Need?
One aspect of geology is providing the natural resources to support our American way of
life. Gypsum is one commodity that we all consume. This exercise will estimate your
annual gypsum consumption and then you can project your need over your lifetime.
Before we start guess how much gypsum is mined for you each year: ________ pounds.
Visit USGS Gypsum Statistics and Information at
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gypsum/
and find the amount of gypsum produced (mined) in 2007.
________________ tons. Note: one ton is 2,000 pounds.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States,
projected to 06/11/09 at 01:09 GMT (EST+5) is 306,000,000.
To find the average amount of gypsum consumed per person divide the amount mined by
the population:
________ tons / 306,637,958 people = _________ tons per person
To convert tons to pounds:
_________ ton
person
X 2,000 pounds = _________ pounds per person
ton
Compare your estimate from above to the amount you calculated.
Average life span in the US is about 78.5 years. How many pounds of gypsum will you
need in your lifetime?
_________ pounds x 78.5 years = ________ pounds (in a lifetime)
year
To find the volume of gypsum you consume per year use the weight you determined, and
the density of gypsum, 2.3 gm/cc:
117 pounds
x
454 gm x 1 cc
pound
2.3 gm
= ____________ cc
About 227,000 cubic meters of gypsum were mined. How many people would this serve
over a lifetime?
ANSWER KEY How Much Gypsum Does One Person Need?
One aspect of geology is providing the natural resources to support our American way of
life. Gypsum is one commodity that we all consume. This exercise will estimate your
annual gypsum consumption and then you can project your need over your lifetime.
Before we start guess how much gypsum is mined for you each year: ________ pounds.
Visit USGS Gypsum Statistics and Information at
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gypsum/
and find the amount of gypsum produced (mined) in 2007.
________________ tons. Note: one ton is 2,000 pounds. 17,900,000 tons
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States,
projected to 06/11/09 at 01:09 GMT (EST+5) is 306,000,000.
To find the average amount of gypsum consumed per person divide the amount mined by
the population:
________ tons / 306,637,958 people = _________ tons per person 0.0584
To convert tons to pounds:
_________ ton
person
X 2,000 pounds = _________ pounds per person 116.9
ton
Compare your estimate from above to the amount you calculated.
Average life span in the US is about 78.5 years. How many pounds of gypsum will you
need in your lifetime?
_________ pounds x 78.5 years = ________ pounds (in a lifetime)
year
To find the volume of gypsum you consume per year use the weight you determined, and
the density of gypsum, 2.3 gm/cc:
117 pounds
x
454 gm x 1 cc
pound
2.3 gm
= ___________ cc 23,094 or a sq. m 23 cm tall
About 227,000 cubic meters of gypsum were mined. How many people would this serve
over a lifetime?
At one-quarter of a cubic meter per year you would need about one cubic meter in 4 years
and about 20 cubic meters per person per lifetime.
227,000 cubic meters mined x
1 person
20 cubic meters
= 11,350 people