Estimate the number of pennies that would fit in a box one foot long by one foot wide by one foot tall. A) 5 × 10² B) 5 × 10³ C) 5 × 10⁴ D) 5 × 10⁵ E) 5 x 10⁶

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To solve this problem, we need to find the volume of the box in cubic inches and then divide by the volume of one penny to find how many pennies fit inside.

One foot equals 12 inches, so the box is 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches tall. The volume is:

12 x 12 x 12 = 1,728 cubic inches

The volume of one penny is approximately 0.0567 cubic inches (this can be found by measuring the diameter and thickness of a penny and using the formula for the volume of a cylinder).

To find out how many pennies fit inside the box, we divide the volume of the box by the volume of one penny:

1,728 ÷ 0.0567 ≈ 30,567

Therefore, approximately 30,567 pennies can fit inside the box.

We can see that the closest answer choice to this number is C, which is 5 x 10^14.

Estimate the Number of Pennies That Would Fit in a Box