What is the approximate weight of a cylindrical aluminum tank that is 12 ft high with a diameter of 6 ft and 1/2 inch thick walls?

To calculate the approximate weight of a cylindrical aluminum tank, we first need to determine its volume and then multiply by the density of aluminum.

The formula for the volume of a cylinder is given by:

[ V = \pi r^2 h ]

where ( r ) is the radius and ( h ) is the height. The tank's height is 12 ft and its diameter is 6 ft, which means the radius is 3 ft. Therefore, the volume of the entire cylinder (without considering the thickness of the walls) can be calculated as:

[ V = \pi (3 , \text{ft})^2 (12 , \text{ft}) ] [ V = \pi (9 , \text{ft}^2) (12 , \text{ft}) ] [ V = 108\pi , \text{ft}^3 ]

Next, we need to account for the wall thickness to find the volume of aluminum actually making up the structure. The tank has walls that are 0.5 inches thick. Converting 0.5 inches to feet gives us approximately 0.04167 ft.

To find the inside radius, we