A right cylindrical vessel is full of water. How many right cones having the same radius and height as those of the right cylinder will be needed to store that water?
Aptitude
Volume and Surface Area
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
-
A2
-
B3
-
C4
-
D8
Answer
Correct Answer: 3
Explanation
### Concept & Volume Ratio
The volume of a cylinder is strictly three times the volume of a cone provided they share the exact same base radius and height.
$$V_{cylinder} = \pi r^2 h$$
$$V_{cone} = \frac{1}{3}\pi r^2 h$$
### Step-by-Step Solution
* **Step 1:** Write the expression for the total volume of water to be stored (Volume of the cylinder).
$Total\ Water = \pi r^2 h$
* **Step 2:** Write the expression for the capacity of a single cone.
$Cone\ Capacity = \frac{1}{3}\pi r^2 h$
* **Step 3:** Divide the total water volume by the capacity of one cone to find the number of cones needed.
$Number\ of\ cones = \frac{\pi r^2 h}{\frac{1}{3}\pi r^2 h}$
* **Step 4:** Simplify the fraction.
The $\pi r^2 h$ terms cancel out completely.
$Number\ of\ cones = \frac{1}{\frac{1}{3}} = 3$
### Exam Strategy & Shortcut
This is a fundamental geometric property. A cylinder can be perfectly divided into three equal-volume cones of the same base and height. No calculation is needed if you have this property memorized.
### Common Pitfall
Some might confuse surface area relationships with volume relationships, or mistakenly think a cylinder holds twice the volume of a cone instead of three times.
### Final Answer
Therefore, the correct answer is **3**.