"Published in Newark, California, USA"
How much wood is wasted in turning out the largest possible cylindrical rod from a stick whose uniform square cross-sectional area is 10 sq. in. and whose length is 5 ft.?
Solution:
To illustrate the problem, it is better to draw the figure as follows
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| Photo by Math Principles in Everyday Life |
In this problem, the diameter of a circle is not given. Since the area of a cross-section of a stick is given which is a square, then we can solve for the sides of a square which is also a diameter of a circle as follows
Therefore, the amount of wood wasted in turning out the largest possible cylindrical rod from a stick is
