To find the surface area of a sphere, you can use the formula:
\[ A = 4\pi r^2 \]
where \( r \) is the radius of the sphere.
First, we need to find the radius from the diameter. The diameter of the sphere is given as 30 inches, so the radius \( r \) is:
\[ r = \frac{\text{diameter}}{2} = \frac{30 , \text{inches}}{2} = 15 , \text{inches} \]
Now, we can substitute the radius into the surface area formula:
\[ A = 4\pi (15)^2 \]
Calculating \( (15)^2 \):
\[ (15)^2 = 225 \]
Now substituting back into the surface area formula:
\[ A = 4\pi \times 225 \]
Calculating \( 4 \times 225 \):
\[ 4 \times 225 = 900 \]
Thus, the surface area \( A \) in terms of \( \pi \) is:
\[ A = 900\pi \]
The surface area of the sphere is \( \boxed{900\pi} \) square inches.