Question

The maximum fuel capacity of an A380 is 323,546 litres. Jet fuel has a density of 0.81 kg/l. If the aircraft takes off with maximum fuel capacity (for a long flight) at maximum take-off weight, what percentage of the aircraft mass consists of fuel? Input your answer as a percentage (without the % sign)

Answer 1

To find the percentage of the aircraft mass that consists of fuel, we'll follow these steps:

1. Calculate the mass of the fuel: The maximum fuel capacity of an A380 is 323,546 litres and the density of jet fuel is 0.81 kg/l. Therefore, the mass of the fuel can be calculated using the formula:

   $$\text{Mass of fuel}=\text{Volume of fuel}\times \text{Density of fuel}$$ $$\text{Mass of fuel}=323,546,\text{litres}\times 0.81,\text{kg/l}$$ $$\text{Mass of fuel}=262,675.26,\text{kg}$$

2. Determine the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the A380: The maximum take-off weight of an A380 is approximately 560,000 kg.

3. Calculate the percentage of the mass that consists of fuel: We can find the percentage by dividing the mass of the fuel by the maximum take-off weight and then multiplying by 100:

   $$\text{Percentage of mass that is fuel}=\left(\frac{\text{Mass of fuel}}{\text{MTOW}}\right)\times 100$$ $$\text{Percentage of mass that is fuel}=\left(\frac{262,675.26,\text{kg}}{560,000,\text{kg}}\right)\times 100$$ $$\text{Percentage of mass that is fuel}\approx 46.3$$

Thus, the percentage of the aircraft mass that consists of fuel is approximately 46.3.