(a) The diagram shows a wooden structure in the form of a cone, mounted on a hemispherical base. The vertical height of the cone is 48 m and the base radius...

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - General Mathematics - 2020 (Essay) Subject: General Mathematics

Question 1 Report


(a) The diagram shows a wooden structure in the form of a cone, mounted on a hemispherical base. The vertical height of the cone is 48 m and the base radius is 14. Calculate, correct to three significant figures, the surface area of the structure, [Take \(\pi = \frac{22}{7}\)]

(b) Five years ago, Musah was twice as old as Sesay. If the sum of their ages is 100, find Sesay's present age.

Answer Details

(a) Reading the diagram. The structure is a cone (apex \(L\), base diameter \(MN\), centre \(O\)) sitting on a hemisphere of the same base radius. The cone has vertical height \(h = 48\text{ m}\) and base radius \(r = 14\text{ m}\). The exposed surface is the curved surface of the cone plus the curved surface of the hemisphere; the flat circular join is inside the solid and is not counted.

Step 1: Slant height of the cone.

\[l = \sqrt{r^{2}+h^{2}} = \sqrt{14^{2}+48^{2}} = \sqrt{196+2304} = \sqrt{2500} = 50\text{ m}.\]

Step 2: Curved surface area of the cone \(= \pi r l\):

\[= \frac{22}{7}\times 14\times 50 = 22\times 2\times 50 = 2200\text{ m}^2.\]

Step 3: Curved surface area of the hemisphere \(= 2\pi r^{2}\):

\[= 2\times\frac{22}{7}\times 14^{2} = 2\times\frac{22}{7}\times 196 = 2\times 22\times 28 = 1232\text{ m}^2.\]

Step 4: Total surface area of the structure.

\[= 2200 + 1232 = 3432\text{ m}^2 \approx 3430\text{ m}^2\ (3\text{ s.f.}).\]

(b) Ages problem. Let Musah's present age be \(M\) and Sesay's present age be \(S\).

Sum of present ages:

\[M + S = 100.\]

Five years ago Musah was twice as old as Sesay:

\[M - 5 = 2(S - 5) \;\Rightarrow\; M - 5 = 2S - 10 \;\Rightarrow\; M = 2S - 5.\]

Substitute into the sum:

\[(2S - 5) + S = 100 \;\Rightarrow\; 3S = 105 \;\Rightarrow\; S = 35.\]

Answers: (a) surface area \(= 3430\text{ m}^2\) (3 s.f.); (b) Sesay's present age is \(\mathbf{35}\) years.

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