Tommy and Cole are planning to build an aquarium for their pet fish. If the dimensions of the aquarium are 17 inches long, 9 inches wide, and 11 inches tall, how much glass do they need to buy to enclose the aquarium?
To find the amount of glass needed to enclose the aquarium, we need to first calculate the surface area of all sides of the aquarium.
Surface area of one long side = length x height = 17 x 11 = 187 square inches
Surface area of the other long side = 17 x 11 = 187 square inches
Surface area of one short side = width x height = 9 x 11 = 99 square inches
Surface area of the other short side = 9 x 11 = 99 square inches
Surface area of the bottom = length x width = 17 x 9 = 153 square inches
Surface area of the top = length x width = 17 x 9 = 153 square inches
To find the total surface area, we add up the surface areas of all the sides:
187 + 187 + 99 + 99 + 153 + 153 = 778 square inches
Therefore, Tommy and Cole need to buy 778 square inches of glass to enclose the aquarium.