Container Weight

Why don't you?

What do you know?

1) The length, width and depth of the container in meters
2) That the container consists of four sides, a bottom and a center section
3) The weight of the material of construction in pounds per square foot

What do you want to know?

The weight of the container in kilograms.

How would you solve it?

First you'd figure out how many square meters of material it would take to make the container.

Bottom is width times length
2 sides width times height
2 sides length times height
canter section is a oner--it could be longways (length times height) or it could be widthways (width times depth)
In lieu of additional info-I'd work them both out

The total area of the material of construction would be the sum of the sides and bottom and center section--this would be in square meters.

The I'd multiply this total area times the weight in kilograms per meter squared.

But the weight of the material of construction is not given in kilograms per meter squared, it is given in pounds per square foot--so I have to convert this value--hint this you can look up (google conversions)

Multiply this converted weight (in kilograms per meter squared) by the total area of the container (in square meters) and you've got a good approximation of the answer.

Now ask yourself--does this answer make sense?--I'd predict that the container should be somewhere between 500 kilograms and 5000 kilograms.

Rap

raprap,

14*14*14*8*8*8*3=4214784 square meters (3 lengths * 3 widths * height)
Center divider- 112 (14*8) 0r 42 (14*3)
Total- 4214938 square meters

1 pound per square foot = 4.88242764 kilograms per square meter.

4214938 * 4.88242764 = 20579129.79= 20579130 kilograms (nearest).

This is not correct. Where did I make the error(s)?

Try folding a box out of a piece of paper and counting the surfaces.

Use that model to mode your box.

Rap

You need to find the total area then the total weight. Think about which numbers to multiply.

Top marks for using the conversion calculator, don't forget to account for the 15.3.

Just by looking at this, I can tell you are off by orders of magnitude. Where are the + signs?

Bottom- 14*8= 112
Length- 14*3= 42
Length- 14*3= 42
Width- 8*3= 24
Width- 8*3=24
Center- 8*3=24
Center- 14*3= 42

112+42+42+24+24+24+42= 310 square meters.

15.3 lbs. per square foot.

Convert- 15.3 = 74.70114840000001 kilograms per square meter.

310*74.70114840000001= 23157.36 = 23157 (nearest)

I don't believe that is correct either.

You know that container is huge

14 meters long is about 45 feet
8 meters wide is about 26 feet
3 meter high is about 10 feet

That container is the size of a house.

Rap

I used feet:

45*26= 1170
45*9=405
45*9=405
9*8=72
9*8=72

45*26=1170
26*9=234


1170+405+405+72+72+1170+234= 3528 square feet

Convert- 3528= 327.761925 square meters

That will vary little from the other answer.

????

What some people do to avoid taking out a calculator and just doing their homework.

bobsal u1553115,

Not a homework question. I have been out of school over 30 years.

Solution B:
Total square meters: 380-112 = 268 (deducted lengthwise divider- used widthwise dimension)

Convert- 268 * 10.7639104= 2884.7279872 square feet

268*10.7639104*15.3= 44136.33 lbs.

44136.33*.45359237 = 20019.90 = 20020 kilograms (nearest)

Right or wrong ??

First rule of estimation--to the nearest kilogram out of twenty thousand (or so) is meaningless. That's an accuracy of 0.005%. You won't find that accuracy any where except accounting (accounts will count every penny out of one hundred million dollars).

This is an Engineering problem--with an estimate, 5% accuracy is outstanding.

You calculated 23,000 kg the first time and 20,000 the second. 5% accuracy is plus or minus 1000 kilograms.

So, I'd split the difference the container weighs 21,500 kilograms.

BTW here's some handy conversions
2.2 pounds = 1 kilogram
39.37 in= 1 meter
25.4 mm=1 inch
a pint of water is one pound
a kilogram of water is one liter
eight city blocks to the mile, six to the kilometer.

Rap

Thanks raprap.

"eight city blocks to the mile, six to the kilometer"- I didn't recall that conversion.

Congratulations Randy Dandy , you did it, 20,020 kg is correct.

You would enjoy greater precision with 15.3144 pounds per sq ft for the 3/8 inch steel plate.

http://www.chapelsteel.com/weight-steel-plate.html

Pi can be tricky to remember:

How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics, all of the geometry, Herr Planck is fairly hard...:
3.14159265358979323846264...

Thank you Miss L Toad.