Small cubes with edge lengths of 1/4 inch will be packed into the right rectangular prism. How many small cubes are needed to completely fill the right rectangular prism?
The height is 3 3/4 inches, the width is 5 inches, length is 4 1/2 inches. ( the small cubes will be 1/4 in.)
How do I solve this problem.
One way: divide the big volume by the small volume:
(3 3/4)(5)(4 1/2) / (1/4)^3 = (675/8) / (1/64) = 5400
Another way: decide how many cubes it takes to fit each of the larger dimensions
(3 3/4) / (1/4) = 15
5 / (1/4) = 20
(4 1/2) / (1/4) = 18
So, the prism is 15x20x18 cubes = 5400