More Questions from Volume and Surface Area

If the height of a cylinder is increased by 15 percent and the radius of its base is decreased by 10 percent then by what percent will its curved surface area change?

Aptitude Volume and Surface Area Difficulty: Medium
Choose an option
  • A
    $3.5 \text{ percent decrease}$
  • B
    $3.5 \text{ percent increase}$
  • C
    $5 \text{ percent decrease}$
  • D
    $5 \text{ percent increase}$

Answer

Correct Answer: $3.5 \text{ percent increase}$

Explanation

### Concept & Successive Percentage Change The curved surface area ($CSA$) of a cylinder is directly proportional to the product of its radius and height ($CSA = 2\pi rh$). We can use the successive percentage change formula: $$\text{Net Change \%} = a + b + \frac{ab}{100}$$ where $a$ and $b$ are the percentage changes (positive for increase, negative for decrease). ### Step-by-Step Solution 1. **Identify the changes:** - Height increases by $15\% \Rightarrow a = +15$ - Radius decreases by $10\% \Rightarrow b = -10$ 2. **Apply the successive percentage formula:** - $\text{Net Change \%} = 15 + (-10) + \frac{15 \times (-10)}{100}$ - $\text{Net Change \%} = 5 - \frac{150}{100}$ - $\text{Net Change \%} = 5 - 1.5 = +3.5$ 3. **Interpret the result:** - Since the result is positive, it represents an increase. - The curved surface area increases by $3.5\%$. ### Exam Strategy & Shortcut Using the effective percentage formula ($a + b + \frac{ab}{100}$) is much faster than assuming values like $r=100$, $h=100$ and calculating the actual area before and after. ### Common Pitfall A common error is just adding the percentages ($+15 - 10 = +5\%$) and ignoring the multiplicative effect ($\frac{ab}{100}$). Always use the full formula for products. ### Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is **$3.5 \text{ percent increase}$**.
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