Advanced Geometry : Tetrahedrons

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Advanced Geometry

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Tetrahedrons

What is the length of one edge of a regular tetrahedron whose volume equals \(\displaystyle \small \small \small \frac{4}{3\sqrt{2}} cm^3\) ?

Possible Answers:

None of the above.

\(\displaystyle \small \small \small 2 \sqrt{2} cm\)

\(\displaystyle \small \small \small \frac{2}{\sqrt{2}} cm\)

\(\displaystyle \small \small 2 cm\) 

\(\displaystyle \small \small \frac{\sqrt{2}}2{} cm\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \small \small 2 cm\) 

Explanation:

The formula for the volume of a tetrahedron is:

 \(\displaystyle \small V=\frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\).  

When \(\displaystyle \small V= \frac{4}{3\sqrt{2}}\) we have \(\displaystyle \small \frac{4}{3\sqrt{2}}=\frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\) .  

Multiplying the left side by \(\displaystyle \small \frac{2}{2}\) gives us,

 \(\displaystyle \small \frac{8}{6\sqrt{2}}=\frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\) , or \(\displaystyle \small 8=a^3\)

 

Finally taking the third root of both sides yields \(\displaystyle \small 2=a\)

Example Question #2 : Tetrahedrons

A regular tetrahedron has a total surface area of \(\displaystyle \small 16\sqrt{3} ft^2\). What is the combined length of all of its edges?

Possible Answers:

None of the above.

\(\displaystyle \small 4 ft\)

\(\displaystyle \small 24 ft\)

\(\displaystyle \small 20 ft\)

\(\displaystyle \small 12 ft\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \small 24 ft\)

Explanation:

A regular tetrahedron has four faces of equal area made of equilateral triangles.

Therefore, we know that one face will be equal to:

 \(\displaystyle \small \left(\frac{1}{4}\right)\left(16\sqrt{3}\right) ft^2\) , or \(\displaystyle \small 4\sqrt{3} ft^2\)

 

Since the surface of one face is an equilateral triangle, and we know that,

 \(\displaystyle \small Area=\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b\times h\) , the problem can be expressed as:

\(\displaystyle \small 4\sqrt{3}=\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b\times h\)

In an equilateral triangle, the height \(\displaystyle \small h\), is equal to \(\displaystyle \small \frac{1}{2}(b)\sqrt{3}\) so we can substitute for \(\displaystyle \small h\) like so:

\(\displaystyle \small 4\sqrt{3}=\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b \times \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b\sqrt{3}\)

Solving for \(\displaystyle \small b\) gives us the length of one edge.

\(\displaystyle \small 4\sqrt{3}=\frac{b^2\sqrt{3}}{4}\)

\(\displaystyle \small (4)(4\sqrt{3})=(4)\left(\frac{b^2\sqrt{3}}{4}\right)\)

\(\displaystyle \small 16\sqrt{3}=b^2\sqrt{3}\)

\(\displaystyle \small 16=b^2\)

\(\displaystyle \small b=\pm 4\) 

However, we know that the edge of the tetrahedron is a positive number so \(\displaystyle \small b=4\).

Since the base \(\displaystyle \small b\) is the same as one edge of the tetrahedron, and a tetrahedron has six edges we multiply \(\displaystyle \small 6 \times 4\) to arrive at \(\displaystyle \small 24 ft^2\)

Example Question #3 : Tetrahedrons

What is the length of one edge of a regular tetrahedron when the total surface area equals \(\displaystyle \small \small 49\sqrt{3}cm^2\)?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle \small \frac{7}{\sqrt{3}}cm\) 

\(\displaystyle \small 7\sqrt{3}cm\) 

\(\displaystyle \small \frac{7}{3}cm\) 

None of the above.

\(\displaystyle \small 7cm\) 

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \small 7cm\) 

Explanation:

A regular tetrahedron has four faces of equal area made of equilateral triangles.

Therefore, we know that one face will be equal to,

 \(\displaystyle \left(\frac{1}{4}\right)49\sqrt{3}\) cm , or \(\displaystyle \small \small \frac{49}{4}\sqrt{3}\) cm.

 Since the surface of one face is an equilateral triangle, and we know that,

 \(\displaystyle \small Area=\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b\times h\) , the problem can be expressed as:

\(\displaystyle \small \small \frac{49}{4}\sqrt{3}=\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b\times h\)

In an equilateral triangle, the height \(\displaystyle \small h\) is equal to \(\displaystyle \small \frac{1}{2}(b)\sqrt{3}\) so we can substitute for \(\displaystyle \small h\) like so:

\(\displaystyle \small \small \frac{49}{4}\sqrt{3}=\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b \times \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)b\sqrt{3}\)

Solving for \(\displaystyle \small b\) gives us the length of one edge.

\(\displaystyle \small \small \frac{49}{4}\sqrt{3}=\frac{b^2\sqrt{3}}{4}\)

\(\displaystyle \small \small 49\sqrt{3}=b^2\sqrt{3}\)

\(\displaystyle \small \small 49=b^2\)

\(\displaystyle \small b=\pm7\)

However, we know that the edge of the tetrahedron is a positive number so

\(\displaystyle \small \small b=7\).

Example Question #4 : Tetrahedrons

What is the length of one edge of a regular tetrahedron whose volume equals \(\displaystyle \small \small \small 36\) \(\displaystyle \small m^3\) ?

Possible Answers:

None of the above.

\(\displaystyle \small 36\sqrt{2}m\)

\(\displaystyle \small 216\sqrt{2}m\)

\(\displaystyle \small 6\sqrt[6]{2}m\)

\(\displaystyle \small 6\sqrt[5]{2}m\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \small 6\sqrt[6]{2}m\)

Explanation:

The formula for the volume of a tetrahedron is \(\displaystyle \small V=\frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\).  When \(\displaystyle \small \small V= 36\) we have \(\displaystyle \small 36=\frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\) .  

We simply solve for \(\displaystyle \small a\)...

\(\displaystyle \small 6\sqrt{2}\times36=a^3\)

\(\displaystyle \small 216\sqrt{2}=a^3\).

Take the cube root of both sides to find the answer for a.

\(\displaystyle \small \small 6\left ( \left ( 2\right^{1/2} ) \right )^{1/3}=a\)

\(\displaystyle \small \small a=6 \sqrt[6]{2}\)

Example Question #2 : Tetrahedrons

What would the length of one edge of a regular tetrahedron be if the area of one side was \(\displaystyle \small \small 25\) \(\displaystyle \small m^2\)?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle \small \frac{5}{\sqrt{3}}\) \(\displaystyle \small m\)

\(\displaystyle \small \frac{10}{\sqrt[4]{3}}\) \(\displaystyle \small m\)

\(\displaystyle \small 10\sqrt[3]{3}\) \(\displaystyle \small m\)

\(\displaystyle \small 10\sqrt{3}\) \(\displaystyle \small m\)

None of the above.

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \small \frac{10}{\sqrt[4]{3}}\) \(\displaystyle \small m\)

Explanation:

The area of one side is given as \(\displaystyle \small 25\) \(\displaystyle \small m^2\).  The side of a regular tetrahedron is an equilateral triangle so area is determined by:

\(\displaystyle \small Area= \frac{1}{2}b\times h\).

In an equilateral triangle, \(\displaystyle \small h=\frac{1}{2}b\sqrt{3}\)  so we can substitute for \(\displaystyle \small h\) into the area formula:

\(\displaystyle \small Area = \frac{1}{2}b\times \frac{1}{2}b\sqrt{3}\).

Plugging in the value of the area which was given yields.

\(\displaystyle \small 25= \frac{1}{2}b\times \frac{1}{2}b\sqrt{3}=\frac{b^2\sqrt{3}}{4}\)

Solve for \(\displaystyle \small b\) will give us the length of an edge.

\(\displaystyle \small 100=b^2\sqrt{3}\)

\(\displaystyle \small b^2=\frac{100}{\sqrt{3}}\)

\(\displaystyle \small b=\frac{10}{\sqrt[4]{3}}\)

 

Example Question #1 : Tetrahedrons

A regular tetrahedron has a surface area of \(\displaystyle 684cm^{2}\). Each face of the tetrahedron has a height of \(\displaystyle 18cm\). What is the length of the base of one of the faces?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 24cm\)

\(\displaystyle 17cm\)

\(\displaystyle 38cm\)

\(\displaystyle 76cm\)

\(\displaystyle 19cm\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 19cm\)

Explanation:

A regular tetrahedron has 4 triangular faces. The area of one of these faces is given by:

\(\displaystyle \small A=\frac{1}{2}bh\)

Because the surface area is the area of all 4 faces combined, in order to find the area for one of the faces only, we must divide the surface area by 4. We know that the surface area is \(\displaystyle \small 684cm^2\), therefore:

\(\displaystyle \small A=\frac{S.A.}{4}\)

\(\displaystyle A=\frac{684cm^{2}}{4}=171cm^2\)

Since we now have the area of one face, and we know the height of one face is \(\displaystyle 18cm\), we can now plug these values into the original formula:

\(\displaystyle \small A=\frac{1}{2}bh\)

\(\displaystyle \small 171=\frac{1}{2}b(18)\)

\(\displaystyle \small 171=9b\)

\(\displaystyle \small b=19\)

Therefore, the length of the base of one face is \(\displaystyle \small 19cm\).

Example Question #7 : Tetrahedrons

What is the length of an edge of a regular tetrahedron if its surface area is 156?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 90.1\)

\(\displaystyle 11.4\)

\(\displaystyle 9.4\)

\(\displaystyle 7.2\)

\(\displaystyle 9.5\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 9.5\)

Explanation:

The only given information is the surface area of the regular tetrahedron.

This is a quick problem that can be easily solved for by using the formula for the surface area of a tetrahedron:

\(\displaystyle SA= \sqrt{3}\cdot a^2\)

If we substitute in the given infomation, we are left with the edge being the only unknown. 

\(\displaystyle 156 = \sqrt{3} \cdot a^2\)

\(\displaystyle \frac{156}{\sqrt{3}}=a^2\)

\(\displaystyle \sqrt{\frac{156}{\sqrt{3}}}=a\)

\(\displaystyle a=9.49 \approx{\color{Blue} 9.5}\)

Example Question #8 : Tetrahedrons

What is the length of a regular tetrahedron if one face has an area of 43.3 squared units and a slant height of \(\displaystyle \frac{10\sqrt3}{2}\)?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 86.6\)

\(\displaystyle 7.2\)

Cannot be determined 

\(\displaystyle 10\)

\(\displaystyle 15\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 10\)

Explanation:

The problem provides the information for the slant height and the area of one of the equilateral triangle faces. 

The slant height merely refers to the height of this equilateral triangle. 

Therefore, if we're given the area of a triangle and it's height, we should be able to solve for it's base. The base in this case will equate to the measurement of the edge. It's helpful to remember that in this case, because all faces are equilateral triangles, the measure of one length will equate to the length of all other edges.

We can use the equation that will allow us to solve for the area of a triangle:

\(\displaystyle A=\frac{1}{2} \cdot b\cdot h\)

where \(\displaystyle b\) is base length and \(\displaystyle h\) is height.

Substituting in the information that's been provided, we get:

\(\displaystyle 43.3 = \frac{1}{2} \cdot b \cdot \frac{10\sqrt{3}}{2}\)

\(\displaystyle b \cdot \frac{10\sqrt{3}}{2}= 2 \cdot 43.3\)

\(\displaystyle b = 2 \cdot 43.3 \cdot \frac{2}{10\sqrt{3}}\)

\(\displaystyle b =9.99971\approx {\color{Blue} 10}\)

Example Question #9 : Tetrahedrons

The volume of a regular tetrahedron is 94.8. What is the measurement of one of its edges?

Possible Answers:

Cannot be determined

\(\displaystyle 9.5\)

\(\displaystyle 8.7\)

\(\displaystyle 10.1\)

\(\displaystyle 9.3\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 9.3\)

Explanation:

This becomes a quick problem by just utilizing the formula for the volume of a tetrahedron. 

\(\displaystyle V= \frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\)

Upon substituting the value for the volume into the formula, we are left with \(\displaystyle a\), which represents the edge length. 

\(\displaystyle 94.8= \frac{a^3}{6\sqrt{2}}\)

\(\displaystyle a^3=94.8 \cdot 6\sqrt{2}\)

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt[3]{94.8 \cdot 6\sqrt{2}}\)

\(\displaystyle a= {\color{Blue} 9.3}\)

Example Question #10 : Tetrahedrons

A tetrahedron has a volume that is twice the surface area times the edge. What is the length of the edge? (In the answer choices, \(\displaystyle a\) represents edge.)

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt[3]{\frac{V}{2\sqrt{3}}}\)

\(\displaystyle a= \frac{V}{2\sqrt a^2}\)

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt[3]{\frac{V}{2\sqrt a^2}}\)

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt{\frac{V}{2\sqrt{3}}}\)

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt[4]{\frac{V}{\sqrt{3a^2}}}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt[3]{\frac{V}{2\sqrt{3}}}\)

Explanation:

The problem states that the volume is:

\(\displaystyle V= 2(\sqrt{3}\cdot a^2) \cdot a\)

The point of the problem is to solve for the length of the edge. Becasuse there are no numbers, the final answer will be an expression. 

In order to solve for it, we will have to rearrange the formula for volume in terms of \(\displaystyle a\)

\(\displaystyle V = 2\sqrt{3}\cdot a^3\)

\(\displaystyle \frac{V}{2\sqrt{3}}=a^3\)

\(\displaystyle a= \sqrt[3]{\frac{V}{2\sqrt3}}\)

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