The square pyramid shown has a volume of 576 cubic centimeters and a height of 27 centimeters. The figure is not drawn to scale.

What is the value of s, the edge length of the base of the pyramid in centimeters?

1 answer

To find the base edge length, we need to use the formula for the volume of a square pyramid:

Volume = (1/3) * base area * height

Given that the volume is 576 cubic centimeters and the height is 27 centimeters, we can rearrange the formula to solve for the base area:

576 = (1/3) * base area * 27
576 = 9 * base area
base area = 576 / 9
base area = 64

Since the base of a square pyramid is a square, the area of the base is s^2, where s is the length of the edge. Therefore:

s^2 = 64
s = √64
s = 8

Therefore, the edge length of the base of the pyramid is 8 centimeters.