A ball will fit inside a cubed box and will touch all six sides. The surface area of the ball is

200.96
200.96 square inches. What is the length of each side of the box? Use 3.14 for π. Click Here for Help Video

The side length of the box is
inches.

1 answer

To find the length of each side of the cubed box, we first need to determine the radius of the ball.

The formula for the surface area \( S \) of a sphere is given by:

\[ S = 4 \pi r^2 \]

We know the surface area \( S \) is 200.96 square inches. We can substitute that into the formula:

\[ 200.96 = 4 \pi r^2 \]

Next, using \( \pi \approx 3.14 \):

\[ 200.96 = 4 \times 3.14 \times r^2 \]

Calculating \( 4 \times 3.14 \):

\[ 4 \times 3.14 = 12.56 \]

So we have:

\[ 200.96 = 12.56 r^2 \]

Now, solve for \( r^2 \):

\[ r^2 = \frac{200.96}{12.56} \approx 16 \]

Taking the square root of both sides to find \( r \):

\[ r = \sqrt{16} = 4 \text{ inches} \]

The diameter \( d \) of the ball is twice the radius:

\[ d = 2r = 2 \times 4 = 8 \text{ inches} \]

Since the ball fits perfectly inside the box and touches all six sides, the side length of the cubed box is equal to the diameter of the ball.

Therefore, the length of each side of the box is:

\[ \boxed{8} \text{ inches} \]