Rectangular solid: finding orig. volume after slices removed

[mdd]

I have a test this evening in which my instructor told us he will be including a question regarding a loaf of bread. (He said we would be using a rectangular solid to approximate the loaf's volume.) This loaf will be missing some slices, and then more slices will be removed. We will not be provided the volume. The question will revolve around finding the original volume.

I am trying to visualize how I might go about solving this question. I know that the volume V of a rectangular solid with length L, width w, and height h is given by "V = Lwh". I am thinking I might need to make "x" stand for the width of the missing slice(s) of bread, and then calculate something like (x - w)(L)(h) = V.

Has anyone seen a question such as this? Can you give me pointers?

Thank you.

 

[stapel]

Without knowing what the exercise is, it is difficult, I'm afraid to provide any specific advice. There are many ways the exercise might proceed. But, at a guess (and only a guess), I would suspect that you would need to note that the slices are themselves also rectangular solids, ones which happen to have the same height and width as the entire loaf.

Good luck!

Eliz.

 

[mdd]

Thank you for response.