Solve Scale Factor Problem: 'ET Pizza' Pizzas

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SUMMARY

The scale factor problem regarding 'ET Pizza' illustrates how to calculate the fair price of a larger pizza based on its volume. The smaller pizza has a diameter of 20 cm and costs $10, while the larger pizza has a diameter of 30 cm. The correct pricing method involves recognizing that the volume increases with the cube of the scale factor, leading to a fair price of $33.75 for the larger pizza, calculated using the formula \(P=\left(\frac{30}{20}\right)^3 \times 10\). The initial miscalculation of $15 arises from incorrectly applying the linear scale factor instead of the volumetric scale factor.

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tantrik
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Dear friends,

I am unable to solve the following scale factor problem. Will appreciate your help here. Thanks in advance.

'ET Pizza' produces two pizzas that are similar in shape. The smaller pizza is 20 cm in diameter and costs $10. The larger pizza is 30 cm in diameter. What is a fair cost for the larger pizza?

The answer in the book is $33.75 but I am getting $15 (scale factor = 30/20=1.5; cost of larger pizza = $10*1.5 = $15). Let me know where I am mistaken.
 
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A pizza is a 3-dimensional object. If the 2 pizzas are similar in shape, then increasing a linear measure in the smaller by some factor $k$ will result in the volume of the larger increasing by $k^3$. And so we would find the fair price $P$ of the larger pizza to be:

$$P=\left(\frac{30}{20}\right)^310=\frac{135}{4}=33.75$$

You see the larger pizza, being 1.5 times larger in all 3 spatial dimensions (making it similar in shape to the smaller), has 3.375 times as much volume.
 
MarkFL said:
A pizza is a 3-dimensional object. If the 2 pizzas are similar in shape, then increasing a linear measure in the smaller by some factor $k$ will result in the volume of the larger increasing by $k^3$. And so we would find the fair price $P$ of the larger pizza to be:

$$P=\left(\frac{30}{20}\right)^310=\frac{135}{4}=33.75$$

You see the larger pizza, being 1.5 times larger in all 3 spatial dimensions (making it similar in shape to the smaller), has 3.375 times as much volume.

Thanks for the solution
 

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