Time for MATH MINUTE! (provide your favorite theme music here).

Get out your paper & pencil because I have a new puzzle for you!!

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PUZZLE #11 Tennis balls anyone? Nov. 27 – Dec. 1

A clear plastic tube-can for 4 tennis balls is made to fit the balls

exactly (same radius as the ball). Suppose the top & bottom of the

can are flat.

If the can has been opened it will have air in it (instead

of a vacuum). What is the ratio of balls to air in an opened can?

HINT: Notice I did not give the sizes of anything here? It turns out

you can choose any size for the tennis balls, and the problem works

the same, say radius = 1 inch or 1 foot or - ??, so choose what you

wish.

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Also, in case you forgot, the volume of a sphere (tennis ball) of radius r is v = 4pi(r³/3) units³, the volume of a circular can is the area of the circular base A times the height h, Axh, and the area of the circular

base of radius r is A = pi(r²) units².

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BONUS PUZZLE: What ratio would you get for a can of 3 tennis balls?

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Send your comments, ideas and solutions before Monday Dec. 4 to this email address,

and in the subject line be sure to put < MM >:  parksjm@potsdam.edu

Visit us here online at http://www2.potsdam.edu/parksjm/MM.htm

to see the results every Monday.

       See you next time on MATH MINUTE!  (theme music fades out here).