What is Tommy's BAC after having 3 drinks in one hour and weighing 140 pounds?

To understand why .08% is the correct answer for Tommy's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) after consuming 3 drinks in one hour, let's break down the calculation process typically used to estimate BAC.

BAC is influenced by several factors, including the number of drinks consumed, body weight, and the duration over which the drinks were consumed. A common formula to estimate BAC is:

BAC = (A × 100) / (r × W) - .015 × H

Where:

• A is the total alcohol consumed in grams,

• r is the alcohol distribution ratio (approximately 0.68 for males and 0.55 for females),

• W is the body weight in grams, and

• H is the number of hours since the first drink.

Assuming an average drink contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol, when Tommy has 3 drinks, he consumes approximately 42 grams of alcohol.

For someone weighing 140 pounds, this translates to about 63.5 kilograms (since 1 pound equals approximately 0.453592 kilograms). Using the male distribution ratio of 0.68, the calculation for BAC would follow:

1. Total alcohol consumed: 3 drinks × 14 grams/drink =