Rowan is taking his siblings to get ice cream. They can't decide whether to get a cone or a cup because they want to get the most ice cream for their money. If w = 4 in, x =6 in, y = 6 in, z = 2 in, and the cone and cup are filled evenly to the top with no overlap, which container will hold the most ice cream? Use 3.14 for π, and round your answer to the nearest tenth.

a cone with a height of x and a radius of w, a cylinder with a diameter of y and a height of z

The cup holds 56.52 in3 more ice cream than the cone.
The cone holds 56.52 in3 more ice cream than the cup.
The cup holds 43.96 in3 more ice cream than the cone.
The cone holds 43.96 in3 more ice cream than the cup.

1 answer

To find out which container holds more ice cream, we'll calculate the volume of both the cone and the cup.

  1. Volume of the Cone:
    The formula for the volume \( V \) of a cone is given by: \[ V = \frac{1}{3} \pi r^2 h \] where \( r \) is the radius and \( h \) is the height.

    • The cone has a height \( x = 6 \) in and a radius \( w = 4 \) in.
    • Plugging in the values: \[ V_{cone} = \frac{1}{3} \times 3.14 \times (4)^2 \times 6 \] \[ V_{cone} = \frac{1}{3} \times 3.14 \times 16 \times 6 \] \[ V_{cone} = \frac{1}{3} \times 3.14 \times 96 \] \[ V_{cone} = \frac{301.44}{3} \] \[ V_{cone} \approx 100.48 , \text{in}^3 \]
  2. Volume of the Cup (Cylinder):
    The formula for the volume \( V \) of a cylinder is given by: \[ V = \pi r^2 h \] where \( r \) is the radius and \( h \) is the height.

    • The diameter of the cup \( y = 6 \) in, so the radius \( r \) is half of that: \( r = \frac{6}{2} = 3 \) in.
    • The height of the cup \( z = 2 \) in.
    • Plugging in the values: \[ V_{cup} = 3.14 \times (3)^2 \times 2 \] \[ V_{cup} = 3.14 \times 9 \times 2 \] \[ V_{cup} = 3.14 \times 18 \] \[ V_{cup} = 56.52 , \text{in}^3 \]
  3. Comparison of Volumes:

    • Volume of Cone: \( V_{cone} \approx 100.48 , \text{in}^3 \)
    • Volume of Cup: \( V_{cup} = 56.52 , \text{in}^3 \)
  4. Finding the Difference:

    • To find how much more the cone holds than the cup: \[ V_{cone} - V_{cup} \approx 100.48 - 56.52 \approx 43.96 , \text{in}^3 \]

Therefore, the cone holds 43.96 in³ more ice cream than the cup.

So the correct answer is: The cone holds 43.96 in³ more ice cream than the cup.