Final answer:
The rate at which the radius of the balloon is growing at the instant it pops is approximately 0.024 cm/s.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate how fast the radius of the balloon is growing at the instant it pops, we need to find the rate at which the volume of the balloon is increasing. The volume of a sphere is given by the formula V = (4/3)πr³, where r is the radius of the balloon. Differentiating this equation with respect to time, we get dV/dt = 4πr²(dr/dt). Since we know that dV/dt = 15 cm³/s, we can substitute this value into the equation and solve for dr/dt.
dV/dt = 4π(4²)(dr/dt) = 15
192π(dr/dt) = 15
dr/dt = 15 / (192π) ≈ 0.024 cm/s