. A cube-shaped aquarium has edges that are 3 ft long. The aquarium is filled with water that has a density of 62 Ib/ft^3. Should the aquarium be placed on a table that can support a maximum weight of 200 lb? Explain why or why not.

1 Answer
May 14, 2018

No, since the filled aquarium weights a lot more than #200lb#.

Explanation:

The first thing we need to know is what is the volume that our aquarium can hold. Since we know it has a side of 3 ft, we multiply that by itself three times:

#3ft xx 3 ft xx 3 ft = 27 ft^3#

So, now, we have that the density of water is #(62lb)/(1ft^3)#, which means that each cubic foot (#ft^3#) of water weights #62lb#. So, to know the total weight of the aquarium, we multiply the #27ft^3#, by the density to get:

#27ft^3 xx (62lb)/(1ft^3)#

#27cancel(ft^3) xx (62lb)/cancel(1ft^3)#

#27 xx 62lb = 1674 lb#

Since #1674lb# is a lot more than the table can sustain, we should not put the aquarium on top of it.