Question

Describe an informal argument for the volume of a pyramid based on the volume of a cube. A cube has a volume of 12 cubic meters. A square-based pyramid has the same base area and the same height as the cube. What is the volume of the pyramid?(1 point)

36 m3

3 m3

9 m3

4 m3

Answer 1

Answer: 4 m³.

Reason: Let the cube have side s so s^3 = 12. The pyramid has base area s^2 and height s, so
V = (1/3)(base area)(height) = (1/3)s^2·s = (1/3)s^3 = (1/3)·12 = 4 m³.