Calculations in the real world
Here we are. Half a century after my first contact with math as a useful tool, and I’m still depending on the calculation abilities of the Internet. Remember those word problems that kept one challenged intellectually in Grade Four? Stuff like “What is the volume of a cylinder, measuring three inches in diameter and six feet in length?? No need to convert this to metric; the volume is a constant. Or a variable. That math class was a long time ago.
But back to the problem in hand. The volume comes out to about 510 cubic inches. Now, fill it with sand and calculate the weight. Or mass. There is a difference, and it somehow involves the moon and Mars. According to my online search, the weight comes in at about forty pounds. And based on the price of a bag of sand at the local hardware store, that should cost me less than three dollars. Cool!
Dare we wonder why this whole exercise would be of use in the real world? We may. I’m thinking about following a set of plans that I found on a forum. Construction of stable stands for speakers. The cylinders will be constructed from ABS pipe sections, glued into floor drain flanges. Some end plates made from a surplus shelf (melamine or MDF or pine, according to my mood). And after filling the insde of the cylinders with some cheap sand, I’ll have something that makes more sense than some of the much more expensive equivalents available at sound stores. Looks don’t matter; that’s why they put paint in spray cans.
