To use the formula V=Bh to find the volume of a rectangular prism, you must first find the area of the base, B. What is the area of the base of a rectangular prism with a length of 6 1/4m, a width of 5 1/2m, and a height of 2 2/5m? Your answer should be a mixed number in simplest form.

1 answer

To find the area of the base \( B \) of a rectangular prism, we use the formula:

\[ B = \text{length} \times \text{width} \]

The given dimensions are:

  • Length = \( 6 \frac{1}{4} \) meters
  • Width = \( 5 \frac{1}{2} \) meters

First, we convert the mixed numbers into improper fractions.

For the length:

\[ 6 \frac{1}{4} = 6 + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{6 \times 4}{4} + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{24}{4} + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{25}{4} \]

For the width:

\[ 5 \frac{1}{2} = 5 + \frac{1}{2} = \frac{5 \times 2}{2} + \frac{1}{2} = \frac{10}{2} + \frac{1}{2} = \frac{11}{2} \]

Now we calculate the area \( B \):

\[ B = \frac{25}{4} \times \frac{11}{2} \]

To multiply the fractions, we multiply the numerators and the denominators:

\[ B = \frac{25 \times 11}{4 \times 2} = \frac{275}{8} \]

Next, we convert \( \frac{275}{8} \) into a mixed number. We divide 275 by 8:

\[ 275 \div 8 = 34 \quad \text{(whole number part)} \] \[ 275 - (34 \times 8) = 275 - 272 = 3 \quad \text{(remainder)} \]

So, we can write:

\[ \frac{275}{8} = 34 \frac{3}{8} \]

Thus, the area of the base of the rectangular prism is:

\[ \boxed{34 \frac{3}{8}} \text{ square meters} \]