Question

In attempting to calculate the carrying capacity of a cylindrical pipe, Avery measured the outer diameter to be 2 inches, neglecting to notice that the pipe was one eighth of an inch thick. By what percent did Avery overestimate the carrying capacity of the pipe?

Answer 1

Answer: Avery overestimated the amount by about 13.8%.

The actual area of the pipe is about 11.04 in^2. This is found by using the formula. A = pi(r^2). The actual radius is 2 - 0.125 = 1.875

The measurement Avery found was 12.56 in^2, because he used 2 for the radius.

To find the percent increase, we use the formula below.

(12.56 - 11.04) / 11.04 = 13.8%