16Hit1600
Geometry and TrigonometryVery hardHeight of water from a melted sphere

Geometry and Trigonometry practice question

A solid sphere of ice with radius 3 centimetres melts completely into an empty cylindrical glass with inside radius 3 centimetres. Assuming the water has the same volume as the ice, how high, in centimetres, does the water stand in the glass?

Answer: 4

The sphere's volume is (4/3)π(27) = 36π; dividing by the glass's base area 9π gives a height of 4.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 3
3 is the radius.
If you answered 12
12 forgets to divide by 3 in the sphere's volume.
If you answered 36
36 is the volume's coefficient of π.

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