Cylinder melted into a cone (same radius) A cylinder of radius 4 cm and height 8 cm is melted and recast into a cone of the same radius. Find the height of the cone (in cm).

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: 24 cm

Explanation:

Introduction / Context:Melting and recasting conserves volume. With equal radii, we equate the cylinder’s volume to the cone’s volume and solve for the cone’s height directly.

Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Cylinder radius r = 4 cm, height H_cyl = 8 cm
  • Cone radius r = 4 cm, height H_cone = ?
  • Volumes: V_cyl = π r^2 H_cyl; V_cone = (1/3) π r^2 H_cone

Concept / Approach:Set π r^2 H_cyl = (1/3) π r^2 H_cone. Since r is the same, π r^2 cancels, yielding a simple proportionality between heights.

Step-by-Step Solution:

π * 4^2 * 8 = (1/3) * π * 4^2 * H_cone 128π = (16π/3) * H_cone ⇒ H_cone = 128 * 3 / 16 = 24 cm

Verification / Alternative check:Compute volumes numerically: cylinder = 128π; cone with H = 24 gives (1/3)*16π*24 = 128π—exactly equal.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:12, 36, and 48 correspond to one-half, 1.5x, or 2x the correct value; only 24 preserves equal volume with same radius.

Common Pitfalls:Forgetting the 1/3 factor in cone volume or not cancelling common factors leads to algebra mistakes.

Final Answer:24 cm

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