An oil company distributes oil in a metal can shaped like a cylinder that has an actual radius of 5.1cm and a height of 15.1cm. A worker incorrectly measured the radius as 5cm and the height as 15cm. Determine the relative error in calculating the surface area, to the nearest thousandth.

Question

anonymous · Answer

The surface area of a cylinder is

$$2 \pi r^{2} + 2 \pi r h$$

calculate the actual surface area and then subtract the incorrect surface area and that's the error.  You can divide that total by the actual surface area to get a percent error relative to the correct surface area.

anonymous · Answer

let me know if you need help with the work

anonymous · Answer

thankyou ! and i got 34.10% is the correct ?

anonymous · Answer

that is too high i think.  I got 2.931%  we want thousanths place too.

i have an area of 647.294 for the correct one and  628.319 for the incorrect

anonymous · Answer

ohhhhhhh, i got itt now. lol thankyou so much !

anonymous · Answer

An oil company distributes oil in a metal can shaped like a cylinder that has an actual radius of 5.1cm and a height of 15.1cm. A worker incorrectly measured the radius as 5cm and the height as 15cm. Determine the relative error in calculating the surface area, to the nearest thousandth.