Question

The largest state in the US is Alaska, covering 663,267 square miles (including water). What is the approximate radius of a sphere with the same surface area as the area of Alaska?

Answer 1

Remember that the formula for the surface area of a sphere is
`SA=4 \pi r ^(2)` . Substitute the given surface area to solve:
`663,267=4 \pi r ^(2)`. Divide by 4 on both sides:
`165,816.75= \pi r ^(2)`. Divide by pi on both sides:
`52781.11= r ^(2)`. Square root on both sides to find the radius:
`229.741= r`