Question

A traditional square bale of hay is actually in the shape of a rectangular prism its dimensions are 2ft by 2ft by 4ft how many square bales contain in the same amount of hay as one large round bale

Answer 1

Answer: About 4 square bales.

Explanation:

The missing figure is attached.

The formula for calculate the volume of a rectangular prism is:

`V_r=lwh`

Where "l" is the lenght, "w" is the width and "h" is the height.

The volume of a cylinder can be found with this formula:

`V_c=\pi r^2h`

Where "r" is the radius and "h" is the height.

Then, the volume of the traditional square bale which has the shape of a rectangular prism, is:

`V_1=(2\ ft)(2\ ft)(4\ ft)\\\\V_1=16\ ft^3`

Since the radius of a circle is half the diameter, you can identify in the figure attached that the dimensions of a large round bale are:

`r=(4\ ft)/(2)=2\ ft\\\\h=5\ ft`

Then its volume is:

`V_2=\pi (2\ ft)^2(5\ ft)\\\\V_2=62.83\ ft^3`

Finally, dividing the volumes, you get the following result:

`(62.83\ ft^3)/(16\ ft^3)\te\approx4`

Therefore, you can conclude that about 4 square bales contain the same amount of hay as one large round bale.