Latoria has a cube and a square-based pyramid. The two figures have the same height and their bases have the same area. Latoria knows that the volume of the cube is 330 cubic inches. What is the volume of the pyramid?

1 answer

To find the volume of the pyramid, we start with the information we have:

  1. The volume of the cube is given as 330 cubic inches.
  2. The height of both the cube and the pyramid are the same.
  3. The bases of both the cube and the pyramid have the same area.

First, we can find the side length of the cube. The volume \( V \) of a cube with side length \( s \) is given by the formula:

\[ V = s^3 \]

Given that \( V = 330 \) cubic inches, we can find the side length \( s \):

\[ s^3 = 330 \]

To compute \( s \), we take the cube root:

\[ s = \sqrt[3]{330} \]

Now we can also find the area of the base of the cube. The base of the cube is a square with area \( s^2 \):

\[ \text{Area of the base of the cube} = s^2 = (\sqrt[3]{330})^2 = 330^{2/3} \]

Now, since the base area of the pyramid is the same as that of the cube, the area of the base of the pyramid is also \( 330^{2/3} \).

Next, we need to determine the volume of the pyramid. The volume \( V \) of a pyramid with base area \( B \) and height \( h \) is given by:

\[ V = \frac{1}{3} B h \]

Since the pyramid has the same height as the cube, and we already have the area of the base \( B = 330^{2/3} \), we need to find \( h \). The height of the cube \( h \) is equal to the side length \( s \), which can be calculated as follows:

\[ h = \sqrt[3]{330} \]

Now substituting the values into the formula for the volume of the pyramid:

\[ V = \frac{1}{3} \times (330^{2/3}) \times (\sqrt[3]{330}) \]

We can simplify this expression. Notice that \( \sqrt[3]{330} = 330^{1/3} \).

Therefore,

\[ V = \frac{1}{3} \times 330^{2/3} \times 330^{1/3} \]

Using the property of exponents that states \( a^m \times a^n = a^{m+n} \):

\[ V = \frac{1}{3} \times 330^{(2/3 + 1/3)} = \frac{1}{3} \times 330^{1} = \frac{1}{3} \times 330 = 110 \]

Thus, the volume of the pyramid is:

\[ \boxed{110} \text{ cubic inches} \]