After school, Carlos helps his mom at her cake shop, Love and Lace Cakes. Today, he is helping her bake a 3-layer wedding cake. Each layer will be 2 1/2 inches tall and shaped like a rectangular prism. The bottom layer will be 12 inches long and 10 inches wide. The middle layer will be 10 inches long and 8 inches wide. The top layer will be 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. What will the total volume of the wedding cake be?

1 answer

The volume of each layer is found by multiplying the length times the width times the height: 12 inches * 10 inches * 2.5 inches = <<12*10*2.5=300>>300 cubic inches for the bottom layer.
10 inches * 8 inches * 2.5 inches = <<10*8*2.5=200>>200 cubic inches for the middle layer.
8 inches * 6 inches * 2.5 inches = <<8*6*2.5=120>>120 cubic inches for the top layer.
The total volume of the cake is found by adding the volumes of each layer together: 300 cubic inches + 200 cubic inches + 120 cubic inches = <<300+200+120=620>>620 cubic inches. Answer: \boxed{620}.