Final answer:
To calculate the surface area needed for the hourglass sculpture, the lateral surface area of each cone is determined using the formula πrl and then doubled to account for both cones, resulting in 125.6 square feet of steel.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is tasked with calculating the surface area of a modern art sculpture, which consists of two cones meeting at their vertices to form an hourglass shape. To find the amount of steel needed for the outside of the sculpture, we use the formula for the lateral surface area of a cone, which is πrl, where r is the radius of the base, and l is the slant height. Since the diameter of each cone is 8 feet, the radius r will be half of that, which is 4 feet. The slant height l is given as 5 feet. Substituting these values into the formula, we have:
Surface Area = πrl = 3.14 × 4 ft × 5 ft = 62.8 ft²
Since there are two cones, we need to double the calculated surface area for one cone to cover both cones:
Total Surface Area = 2 × 62.8 ft² = 125.6 ft²
Therefore, the designer will need 125.6 square feet of steel to create the hourglass sculpture.