In what ratio are the volumes of a cylinder, a cone and a sphere, if each has the same diameter and the same height?
Aptitude
Volume and Surface Area
Difficulty: Medium
Choose an option
-
A1 : 3 : 2
-
B2 : 3 : 1
-
C3 : 1 : 2
-
D3 : 2 : 1
Answer
Correct Answer: 3 : 1 : 2
Explanation
### Concept & Proportional Volumes
To compare the volumes of different geometric shapes with shared dimensions, express all dimensions in terms of a single variable, compute the standard formulas, and evaluate the final ratio.
### Step-by-Step Solution
1. **Identify Common Variables:**
Let diameter = $d$. Then radius $r = \frac{d}{2}$ for all shapes.
For a sphere, the height is its diameter. Thus, height $h = d = 2r$.
Since all shapes have the same height, $h = 2r$ for the cylinder and cone as well.
2. **Express Volumes in terms of $r$:**
- **Cylinder:** $V_{cyl} = \pi r^2h = \pi r^2(2r) = 2\pi r^3$
- **Cone:** $V_{cone} = \frac{1}{3}\pi r^2h = \frac{1}{3}\pi r^2(2r) = \frac{2}{3}\pi r^3$
- **Sphere:** $V_{sph} = \frac{4}{3}\pi r^3$
3. **Calculate the Ratio:**
$V_{cyl} : V_{cone} : V_{sph} = 2\pi r^3 : \frac{2}{3}\pi r^3 : \frac{4}{3}\pi r^3$
Divide by $2\pi r^3$:
$= 1 : \frac{1}{3} : \frac{2}{3}$
Multiply by 3 to clear the fractions:
$= 3 : 1 : 2$
### Exam Strategy & Shortcut
If you recall Archimedes' principle regarding the cylinder and inscribed sphere, a sphere is $\frac{2}{3}$ the volume of its circumscribed cylinder, and a cone is $\frac{1}{3}$ of it. Thus the ratio of Cylinder:Cone:Sphere is $1 : \frac{1}{3} : \frac{2}{3}$, which scales immediately to $3 : 1 : 2$.
### Common Pitfall
Misidentifying the "height" of the sphere. The height of a sphere is equal to its diameter ($2r$), not its radius ($r$).
### Final Answer
Therefore, the correct answer is **3 : 1 : 2**.