SOLUTION: A rectangular piece of sheet metal with an area of 1200 in^2 is to be bent into a cylindrical length (right circular cylinder) of stovepipe having a volume of 600 in^3. What are th

Algebra ->  Bodies-in-space -> SOLUTION: A rectangular piece of sheet metal with an area of 1200 in^2 is to be bent into a cylindrical length (right circular cylinder) of stovepipe having a volume of 600 in^3. What are th      Log On


   



Question 1789: A rectangular piece of sheet metal with an area of 1200 in^2 is to be bent into a cylindrical length (right circular cylinder) of stovepipe having a volume of 600 in^3. What are the dimensions of the sheet metal?
Answer by longjonsilver(2297) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
these sorts of questions are lovely questions (yes, i guess i must be a sad individual)...anyway, draw a rectangle, vertical side a and horizontal side b
the area = ab = 1200
Now draw an upright cylinder (by wrapping the length b into a circle)...its radius is length r, and its height is a
Volume of this cyclinder is the area of the circular end times the height...
volume+=+pi%2Ar%5E2%2Aa
now, seeing as how i do not know what r is, i had better find it. This is found from the circumference of the circle (which is the length b)...
circumference, b = 2%2Api%2Ar
so, r+=+b%2F%282%2Api%29
So, we can get rid of the r in the volume equation..this is now re-written as:
volume+=+pi%2A+%28b%2F2%2Api%29%5E2+%2A+a
volume+=+%28pi%2Aa%2Ab%5E2%29%2F%284%2A%28pi%29%5E2%29. This can be simplified to
volume+=+%28a%2Ab%5E2%29%2F%284%2Api%29
So we know the volume, but not a or b...2 unknowns in 1 equation is NOT good, so we need to get rid of either a or b...we do this by using the area equation, at the start of this explanation...let's re-write it as a = 1200/b
so we now get volume+=+%281200b%5E2%29%2F%284%2Ab%2Api%29
cancel the b with one of those in the b%5E2 term, and simplifying the 1200 and 4 gives
volume+=+%28300b%29%2F%28pi%29
600+=+300b%2Fpi
so, b+=+%28600pi%29%2F%28300%29 --> b=2pi
Substitute this into the area equation and you find a=600/pi. These are the dimensions of the sheet metal.
cheers
Jon.