Calculate Cube Height from 36 cm² Base Area: Geometric Problem Solving

Question

The cube shown below has a base area equal to 36 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
00:03 Let's mark the height and length of the cube
00:06 Let's use the formula for calculating the base area (height times length):
00:11 In a cube all edges are equal, therefore the length equals the height
00:15 Let's substitute in the formula and solve for height H
00:21 Let's find the square root and get the 2 possible solutions
00:29 H must be positive, as it is the length of an edge
00:35 And this is the solution to the problem

Step-by-Step Solution

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

  • Step 1: Understand the relationship between the base area and the side length of a cube.
  • Step 2: Calculate the side length using the square area formula.
  • Step 3: Conclude that the height of the cube is equal to this side length.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: The basic property of a cube is that all of its three dimensions (length, width, and height) are equal. We know the base area of this cube is given as 36 cm².

Step 2: Using the formula for the area of a square, we have s2=36 s^2 = 36 , where s s is the side length of the base.

Solving for s s , we find:

s=36=6cm s = \sqrt{36} = 6 \, \text{cm}

Step 3: Since all sides of a cube are equal, the height of the cube is also 6cm 6 \, \text{cm} .

Therefore, the height of the cube is 6cm 6 \, \text{cm} .

Answer

6 6