Problema Solution
show that (a) the total surface of a cube is twice the square of its diagonal, (b) the volume of a cube is 1/9 cube root of 3 times the cube of its diagonal.
Answer provided by our tutors
Assume that the cube has a side length r, equal on all sides.
Surface area = r² on each side, for 6r² total.
The diagonal of the cube is sqrt (r² + r² + r²) = sqrt (3r²) = r sqrt 3
The square of the diagonal is then r² sqrt(3)² = 3r²
Twice the diagonal is then 6r², equal to the surface area.
The volume of a cube is r³.
The cube of its diagonal is r³ sqrt(3)³ = 3r³sqrt(3)
1/9 cube root of 3 = (3-²)(3^(1/3)) = 3^(-5/3)
1/9 cube root of 3 times the cube of the diagonal is 3^(-5/3) * 3 * sqrt(3) * r³
Which simplifies out to 3^(-1/6) * r³, or the volume times the sixth root of 3.
HOWEVER:
If you instead say that the volume of a cube is 1/9 SQUARE root of 3, times the cube of the diagonal,
1/9 sqrt(3) = 3-² * 3^(1/2) = 3^(-3/2)
3^(-3/2) * 3r³sqrt(3)
= 3^(-3/2) * 3 * 3^(1/2) * r³
= 3^0 * r³ = 1*r³ = r³.
So this is probably what your problem was asking for in the first place.