Question

2. The Great Pyramid outside Cairo, Egypt, has a square base measuring 756 feet

on a side and a height of 480 feet.
a. [3 pts] What is the volume of the Great Pyramid, in cubic yards?
b. [2 pts] The stones used to build the Great Pyramid were limestone blocks
with an average volume of 1.5 cubic yards. Assuming a solid
pyramid, how many of these blocks were needed to construct the
Great Pyramid?

Answer 1

First convert the dimensions of the pyramid from feet to yards.

1 yard = 3 feet.

756 feet / 3 ft per yard = 252 yards.

480 feet / 3 ft per yard = 160 yards.

The formula for volume of a pyramid is: Area of the base x the height divided by 3.

Volume = 252 yds^2 x 160/3 = 63504 x 160/3 = 3,386,880 cubic yards.

Now to find the number of bricks needed. divide the total volume by the volume of 1 brick:

3,386,880 / 1.5 = 2,257,920 total bricks.