A gift shop sells a paperweight that is in the shape of a triangular prism. The diagram shows the dimensions of the paperweight.

Note: Figure is not drawn to scale.

If the volume of the paperweight is 96 cubic inches, what is the height of the triangular base of the paperweight?

1 answer

To find the height of the triangular base of the paperweight, we first need to find the area of the triangular base using the formula for the volume of a triangular prism:

Volume = Base area x Height

Since the volume is 96 cubic inches and the base is a triangle (1/2 x base x height), we have:

96 = 1/2 x base x height x height

Simplifying, we get:

192 = base x height^2

We know the base is 8 inches (given in the diagram), so we can plug this in:

192 = 8 x height^2

Solving for height:

height^2 = 192 / 8
height^2 = 24
height = sqrt(24)
height ≈ 4.9 inches

Therefore, the height of the triangular base of the paperweight is approximately 4.9 inches.