Final answer:
To calculate the area of a semicircle with a diameter of 30 inches, first find the radius, which is 15 inches. Using the formula for the area of a circle (πr²) and dividing it by 2 because it's a semicircle, we find that the area is approximately 353 square inches to the nearest square inch.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating the Area of a Semicircle
The student question pertains to finding the area of a semicircle, which is inherently a geometry problem. Given the diameter of the semicircle is 30 inches, we first need to find the radius. The radius (r) is half of the diameter, so in this case, the radius is 15 inches. The area (A) of a circle is calculated using the formula A = πr². However, since we only have half of a circle, we need to divide this by 2 to get the area of the semicircle. Thus, the area of the semicircle is ½ * π * (15 inches)².
Performing the calculation, we find:
A = ½ * π * 225 sq inches
A ≈ ½ * 3.14159 * 225
A ≈ 353.429 sq inches
To the nearest square inch, the area of the semicircle is therefore approximately 353 square inches.