To calculate the minimum amount of plastic wrap needed to completely wrap 8 cylindrical containers, we need to calculate the total surface area of the 8 containers.
The formula for the surface area of a cylinder is:
A = 2πr^2 + 2πrh
where r is the radius of the base of the cylinder (which is half the diameter), h is the height of the cylinder, and π is approximately equal to 3.14.
To find the total surface area of 8 containers, we can first calculate the surface area of one container and then multiply by 8:
r = 5.5 / 2 = 2.75 inches
h = 3 inches
A = 2π(2.75)^2 + 2π(2.75)(3) = 81.85 square inches
The total surface area of 8 containers is:
8A = 8(81.85) = 654.8 square inches
Therefore, the minimum amount of plastic wrap needed to completely wrap 8 cylindrical containers is approximately 654.8 square inches, rounded to the nearest tenth.