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WAEC SSCE - General Mathematics - 2001 (Essay)

Question 1 Report

(a) A boy blew his rubber balloon to a spherical shape. The balloon burst when its diameter was 15 cm. Calculate, correct to the nearest whole number, the volume of air in the balloon at the point of bursting. [Take \(\pi = \frac{22}{7}\)]

(b) A point X is on latitude 28°N and longitude 105°W. Y is another point on the same latitude as X but on longitude 35°E. (i) Calculate, correct to three significant figures, the distance between X and Y along latitude 28°N ; (ii) How far is X from the equator? [Take \(\pi = \frac{22}{7}\) and radius of the earth = 6,400km].

Answer Details

(a) Volume of the balloon. Diameter \(=15\text{ cm}\Rightarrow r=7.5\text{ cm}\).

\(V=\dfrac{4}{3}\pi r^{3}=\dfrac{4}{3}\times\dfrac{22}{7}\times 7.5^{3}=\dfrac{88}{21}\times 421.875=\dfrac{37125}{21}=1767.86\).

Volume \(\approx \mathbf{1768\ cm^{3}}\).

(b) X: \(28^{\circ}\)N, \(105^{\circ}\)W; Y: \(28^{\circ}\)N, \(35^{\circ}\)E. Difference in longitude \(=105+35=140^{\circ}\).

(i) Distance X to Y along latitude \(28^{\circ}\)N:

\(d=\dfrac{140}{360}\times 2\pi R\cos 28^{\circ}=\dfrac{140}{360}\times 2\times\dfrac{22}{7}\times 6400\times\cos 28^{\circ}\).

\(=\dfrac{140}{360}\times 40228.57\times 0.8829\approx 13{,}800\text{ km}\ (\mathbf{1.38\times 10^{4}\ km})\).

(ii) Distance of X from the equator (along its meridian):

\(d=\dfrac{28}{360}\times 2\pi R=\dfrac{28}{360}\times 40228.57\approx \mathbf{3130\ km}\).

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