Explain which of the two boxes is larger and how you know.

Question

A bookstore receives a shipment consisting of two boxes. There is no empty space in either of the boxes. The first box contains 16 books, each measuring 3/2 in by 8 in by 11 in. The second box contains 30 books, each measuring 3/4 in by 5 in by 8 in.

Answer 1

For each box find the volume of each book and multiply by the number of books to get the total box volume.

First box...

3/2 x 8 x 11 = 132 cubic inches per book

132 x 16 = 2,112 total cubic inches

Second box...

3/4 x 5 x 8 = 30 cubic inches per book

30 x 30 = 900 total cubic inches

First box is larger since it holds a greater volume of books.