Two rectangular rain barrels are compared. Barrel A has a \(60\,\text{cm} \times 60\,\text{cm}\) base and is \(1\,\text{m}\) high. Barrel B has an \(80\,\text{cm} \times 50\,\text{cm}\) base and is also \(1\,\text{m}\) high.
a) Find each barrel's maximum capacity in liters.
b) Barrel A is half full. Barrel B contains exactly \(170\,\text{L}\). Which barrel contains more water? Justify your answer.
c) Barrel B is emptied. If the water from the half-full Barrel A is then poured into Barrel B, how high would the water be, in centimeters?
Hints
- Express all dimensions in centimeters before finding capacity.
- Half full means half of the total volume.
- For part c, use only the transferred water because Barrel B is emptied first.
- Divide the transferred volume by Barrel B's base area.
Solution
1. Convert the height to \(100\,\text{cm}\). Barrel A's volume is \(60\cdot60\cdot100=360{,}000\,\text{cm}^3=360\,\text{L}\).
2. Barrel B's volume is \(80\cdot50\cdot100=400{,}000\,\text{cm}^3=400\,\text{L}\).
3. Half of Barrel A's capacity is \(180\,\text{L}\). Since \(180>170\), Barrel A contains more water in part b.
4. For part c, Barrel B is empty before the transfer. Its base area is \(80\cdot50=4000\,\text{cm}^2\). The transferred volume is \(180{,}000\,\text{cm}^3\), so the water height is \(180{,}000\div4000=45\,\text{cm}\).
Answer
a) Barrel A holds \(360\,\text{L}\), and Barrel B holds \(400\,\text{L}\).
b) Barrel A contains more water because it has \(180\,\text{L}\), compared with \(170\,\text{L}\) in Barrel B.
c) The transferred water would be \(45\,\text{cm}\) high in the emptied Barrel B.