Surface Area and Volume Application Problems

Job: Airplane Mechanic - How many cubic feet of baggage will a compartment 5ft 6in by 3ft 9in by 2ft hold?  

Would you need to calculate volume or surface area?  How do you know?

• Surface Area - covering the outside of the plane

• Volume - storage inside plane

Tags

CCSS.5.MD.C.5B

CCSS.6.G.A.2

Job: Civil Engineer - If 0.24 (24 hundredths) of a bag of cement produces 1 cubic foot of concrete, how many full bags are needed for a 135-foot long retaining wall that has a 6 foot cross-section?

Would you need to calculate volume or surface area?  How do you know?

• Surface Area - creating/ building something

• Volume - cubic feet, filling the wall to create it

Tags

CCSS.5.MD.C.5B

CCSS.6.G.A.2

Job: Air Conditioning Specialist - A customer orders a 31-gallon tank to fit in a rectangular area measuring 14 inches by 8 inches. How high should the tank be? (Hint: there are 231 cubic inches in 1 gallon.)

Would you need to calculate volume or surface area?  How do you know?

• surface area - rectangular area

• volume - fit inside a rectangular area

Tags

CCSS.5.MD.C.5B

CCSS.6.G.A.2

Job: Painter - A room is 13 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 10 feet high. In the room, there are three windows that are each 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall. If one gallon of paint covers 350 square feet, how many gallons of paint do you need to paint the walls and door of the room? 

Would you need to calculate volume or surface area?  How do you know?

• surface area - painting the room (walls & door)

• volume - filling the room with paint

Job: Party Planner

You are wrapping a gift box that is 18 inches by 12 inches by 3 inches. What is the least amount of wrapping paper you need in order to wrap the box?

Surface Area or Volume?

• Surface Area

• Volume

Tags

CCSS.6.G.A.4

Job: Wastewater Treatment Operator

A settling basin shaped like a rectangular prism, is 85 feet long, 24 feet wide, and 12 feet deep. How many gallons of water will it hold? (Hint: There are 7.48 gallons in a cubic foot)

Surface Area or Volume?

• Surface Area

• Volume

Tags

CCSS.7.G.B.6

Job:  Air Conditioning Specialist

A closed rectangular tank 60 inches by 20 inches by 10 inches must be covered inside with sheet copper lining. How much needs to be covered?

Surface Area or Volume?

• Surface Area

• Volume

Job:  Painter - Katy is painting the walls of her bedroom. The dimensions of her floor are 12 feet by 8 feet. Her ceiling is 10 feet high. Katy will not paint the floor, the ceiling, or the door.  The door is 3 feet by 8 feet.  If one quart of paint covers 100 square feet, how many quarts will Katy need to purchase?

Surface Area or Volume?

• Surface Area

• Volume