Final answer:
The volume of the ice sculpture in the shape of a square pyramid, if it started as a cube with side length 3 yards, is 9 cubic yards. The volume of the original cube is 27 cubic yards, but as a pyramid, the volume is one-third of that. The correct answer is D. 9 cu yd.
Step-by-step explanation:
If an ice sculpture in the shape of a square pyramid was originally a cube with a side length (s) of 3 yards, we can find the volume of the cube before it was carved into a pyramid. The formula to find the volume of a cube is V = s³, where s is the side length of the cube.
By substituting the given value of s = 3 yards into the formula, we get:
V = 3 yards · 3 yards · 3 yards = 27 cubic yards (cu yd).
This means the volume of the ice when it was still a cube is 27 cu yd. However, as the question is about the volume of the sculpture in the shape of a square pyramid, we'll apply the formula for the volume of a pyramid, which is V = (1/3) · base area · height.
Assuming the base of the pyramid uses the full area of the cube's face (9 square yards) and that the height is equal to the side length of the cube, we get:
V = (1/3) · 9 sq yd · 3 yd = 27 cu yd / 3 = 9 cubic yards.
Therefore, the correct answer to the volume of the ice sculpture in the shape of a square pyramid is 9 cubic yards (D).