Calculate Cube Height from 16 cm² Base Area: Geometric Problem Solving

Question

The cube shown below has a base area of 16 cm².

Is it possible to calculate the height of the cube? If so, what is it?

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Find the height of the cube
00:04 Find the edges that will help us calculate the base area
00:08 Use the formula to calculate base area (height times length)
00:13 In a cube, all edges are equal
00:17 Substitute H for L (they are equal)
00:22 Extract the root and find the 2 possible solutions
00:31 H must be positive, as it is the length of an edge
00:35 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the base area of the cube.
  • Step 2: Use the formula to find the side length of the base.
  • Step 3: Recognize that the height of the cube is equal to the side length of the base.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: We are given the base area of the cube as 16cm216 \, \text{cm}^2.
Step 2: The area of a square is calculated using the formula side2 \text{side}^2, where "side" is the length of each side of the square.
Setting up the equation: side2=16\text{side}^2 = 16. Solving for the "side," we find side=16=4cm\text{side} = \sqrt{16} = 4 \, \text{cm}.
Step 3: Since the cube is a regular geometric shape, the height is equal to the side length of the base. Therefore, the height of the cube is 4cm4 \, \text{cm}.

Therefore, the height of the cube is 4cm 4 \, \text{cm} .

Answer

4 4