The art class is making wind chimes out of tin cans. Each can is 4.5 inches tall with radius of 1.5 inches. The students have to paint the outside portions of the cans. What is the lateral area for one of the tin cans?

Use 3.14 for π.

Question 5 options:

42.39 in2

21.195 in2

49.455 in2

67.5 in2

42.39 inches squared, or the first option

A can is shaped like a cylinder. So, to find the lateral area of the tin can we must follow the lateral area formula for a cylinder, or 2 • π • radius • height

You can simply substitute the values from here.

The question wants you to use 3.14 instead of π, so the formula becomes 2 • 3.14 • radius • height

The can's radius is 1.5 inches and its height is 4.5 inches, so the formula becomes 2 • 3.14 • 1.5 • 4.5

Now we just solve: 2 • 3.14 • 1.5 • 4.5 = 42.39, so the lateral area is 42.39 inches squared.