The mass of a triangular pyramid is 400 grams and the density of the material from which the pyramid is made is 16 g/cm3. If the height of the pyramid is 5 centimeters, and the base of the pyramid is an equilateral triangle, which of the following correctly calculates its base side length?(1 point)

Responses

6.89 cm
6.89 cm

34.64 cm
34.64 cm

3.40 cm
3.40 cm

5.89 cm

1 answer

To find the base side length of the triangular pyramid, we first need to calculate its volume using the mass and density. The formula for density is:

\[ \text{Density} = \frac{\text{Mass}}{\text{Volume}} \]

Rearranging this formula to find the volume gives:

\[ \text{Volume} = \frac{\text{Mass}}{\text{Density}} = \frac{400 , \text{g}}{16 , \text{g/cm}^3} = 25 , \text{cm}^3 \]

Now, the volume \( V \) of a triangular pyramid (also known as a tetrahedron) can be calculated using the formula:

\[ V = \frac{1}{3} \times \text{Base Area} \times \text{Height} \]

Since the base is an equilateral triangle, we can express the base area in terms of the side length \( s \):

\[ \text{Base Area} = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4} s^2 \]

Thus, we can equate the two volume formulas:

\[ 25 = \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4} s^2 \times 5 \]

Now, simplifying the equation:

\[ 25 = \frac{5\sqrt{3}}{12} s^2 \]

Multiplying both sides by \( \frac{12}{5\sqrt{3}} \):

\[ s^2 = \frac{25 \times 12}{5 \sqrt{3}} = \frac{300}{5\sqrt{3}} = \frac{60}{\sqrt{3}} = 20\sqrt{3} \]

Taking the square root of both sides:

\[ s = \sqrt{20\sqrt{3}} = \sqrt{20} \times \sqrt{\sqrt{3}} = 2\sqrt{5} \times 3^{1/4} \]

To find a numerical approximation, we calculate:

\[ 20\sqrt{3} \approx 20 \times 1.732 = 34.64 \]

Finding the approximate value of \( s \):

\[ s = \sqrt{34.64} \approx 5.89 , \text{cm} \]

Therefore, the correct side length of the base of the pyramid is:

\[ \boxed{5.89 , \text{cm}} \]