A company manufactures aluminum mailboxes in the shape of a box with a half-cylinder top. The company will make

1715
mailboxes this week. If each mailbox has dimensions as shown in the figure below, how many square meters of aluminum will be needed to make these mailboxes? In your calculations, use the value
3.14
for
π
, and round up your answer to the next square meter.
0.65m
0.6m
0.7m

1 answer

To calculate the amount of aluminum needed to make the mailboxes, we first need to determine the surface area of one mailbox, which consists of a rectangular box and a half-cylinder on top.

Dimensions of One Mailbox:

  • The rectangular box has:

    • Length (L) = 0.65 m
    • Width (W) = 0.6 m
    • Height (H) = 0.7 m
  • The half-cylinder has:

    • Radius (R) = Width / 2 = 0.6 m / 2 = 0.3 m
    • Height = 0.7 m (same as the box)

Step 1: Calculate the Surface Area of the Rectangular Box

The total surface area of the rectangular box (excluding the top surface since the half-cylinder will cover it):

  • Area of the front and back faces = 2 * (H * W) = 2 * (0.7 * 0.6) = 0.84 m²
  • Area of the left and right faces = 2 * (H * L) = 2 * (0.7 * 0.65) = 0.91 m²
  • Area of the bottom face = L * W = 0.65 * 0.6 = 0.39 m²

Total surface area of the rectangular part: \[ \text{Surface Area of Box} = 0.84 + 0.91 + 0.39 = 2.14 \text{ m²} \]

Step 2: Calculate the Surface Area of the Half-Cylinder

The surface area of a half-cylinder (curved surface area only): \[ \text{Curved Surface Area} = \pi \times R \times H = 3.14 * 0.3 * 0.7 \] \[ \text{Curved Surface Area} = 3.14 * 0.21 = 0.6594 \text{ m²} \]

Step 3: Total Surface Area of One Mailbox

Combine the surface areas from the rectangular box and the half-cylinder: \[ \text{Total Surface Area} = \text{Surface Area of Box} + \text{Curved Surface Area} = 2.14 + 0.6594 = 2.7994 \text{ m²} \]

Step 4: Calculate the Surface Area for 1715 Mailboxes

Multiply the total surface area of one mailbox by the number of mailboxes: \[ \text{Total Surface Area for 1715 Mailboxes} = 1715 * 2.7994 ≈ 4806.971 \text{ m²} \]

Step 5: Round Up to the Next Square Meter

Rounding up 4806.971 m² to the next whole number: \[ \text{Total Square Meters of Aluminum Needed} = 4807 \text{ m²} \]

Thus, the total amount of aluminum needed to make the 1715 mailboxes is 4807 square meters.