Chapter One

C U B E S AND C U B E R O O T S

1.1: Cubes
2 means 2 x 2 x 2
3

3 = 3x3x3
3

4 = 4x4x4
3

The cube of the number is a number multiplied by itself three times.

In general, a = a x a x a.
3

Example 1
What is the value of 5 ? 3

Solution
53 =5x5x5
= 25x5
= 125

Example 2
Find the cube of 1.4.

Solution
(1.4) = 1.4x1.4x1.4
3

= 1.96x1.4
= 2.744

Exercise 1.1
1. Find the cube o f each of the following:
(a) 6 (b) 1.6 (c) 3.2
2. What is the value o f (2.17) ?
3

3. Find the value of each of the following:

(c)(l.l) 3 (d)(0.03) 3

4.
5.
(c) (2b) 3

1.2: Use of Tables to find Cubes

Cubes of numbers can be read directly from tables. The technique o f reading
cubes using tables is similar to that used for tables of squares and square roots.
2 SECONDARY MATHEMATICS

Table 1.1 is an extract of tables of cubes.

Table 1.1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1.0 1.000 1.030 1.061 1.093 1.125 1.158 1.191 1.225 1.260 1.295 3 7 10 13 16 20 23 26 30
1.1 1.331 1.368 1.405 1.443 1.482 1.521 1.561 1.602 1.643 1.685 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 31 35
1.2 1.728 1.772 1.816 1.861 1.907 1.953 2.000 2.048 2.097 2.147 5 9 14 19 23 28 33 37 42
1.3 2.197 2.248 2.300 2.353 2.406 2.460 2.515 2.571 2.628 2.686 5 11 16 22 27 33 38 43 49
1.4 2.744 2.803 2.863 2.924 2.986 3.049 3.112 3.177 3.242 3.308 6 13 19 25 31 38 44 50 56
1.5 3.375 3.443 3.512 3.582 3.652 3.724 3.796 3.870 3.944 4.020 7 14 21 29 36 43 50 57 64
1.6 4.096 4.173 4.252 4.331 4.411 4.492 4.574 4.657 4.742 4.827 8 16 24 32 41 49 57 65 73
1.7 4.913 5.000 5.088 5.178 5.268 5.359 5.452 5.545 5.640 5.735 9 18 27 37 46 55 64 73 82
1.8 5.832 5.930 6.029 6.128 6.230 6.332 6.435 6.539 6.645 6.751 10 20 31 41 51 61 71 82 92
1.9 6.859 6 968 7.078 7.189 7.301 7.415 7.530 7.645 7.762 7.881 11 23 34 45 57 68 79 91 102
2.0 8.000 8.121 8.242 8.365 8.490 8.615 8.742 8.870 8.999 9.129 13 25 38 50 63 75 88 100 113
2.1 9.261 9.394 9.528 9.664 9.800 9.938 10.078 10.218 10.360 10.503 14 28 41 55 69 83 97 110 124
2.2 10.648 10.794 10.941 11.090 11.239 11.391 11.543 11.697 11.852 12.009 15 30 45 60 76 91 106 121 136
2.3 12.167 12.326 12.487 12.649 12813 12.978 13.144 13.312 13.481 13.652 16 33 49 66 82 99 115 132 148
2.4 13.824 13.998 14.172 14.349 14.527 14.706 14.887 15.069 15.253 15.438 18 36 54 72 90 108 126 143 161
2.5 15.625 15.813 16003 16.194 16.387 16.581 16.777 16.975 17.174 17.374 19 39 58 78 97 117 136 155 175
2.6 17.576 17.780 17.985 18.191 18.400 18.610 18.821 19.034 19.249 19.465 21 42 63 84 105 126 147 168 189
2.7 19.683 19.903 20.124 20.346 20.571 20.797 21.025 21.254 21.485 21.718 23 45 68 90 113 136 158 181 203
2.8 21.952 22.188 22.426 22.665 22.906 23.149 23.394 23.640 23.888 24.138 24 49 73 97 121 146 170 194 219
2.9 24.389 24.642 24.897 25.154 25.412 25.672 25.934 26.198 26.464 26.731 26 S2 78 104 130 156 182 208 234
3.0 27.000 27.271 27.544 27.818 28.094 28.373 28.653 28.934 29.218 29.504 28 56 83 111 139 167 195 223 250
3.1 29.791 30.080 30.371 30.664 30.959 31.256 31.554 31.855 32.157 32.462 30 59 89 119 148 178 208 237 267
3.2 32.768 33.076 33.386 33.698 34.012 34.328 34.646 34.966 35.288 35.611 32 63 95 126 158 190 221 253 284
3.3 35.937 36.265 36.594 36.926 37.260 37.595 37.933 38.273 38.614 38.958 34 67 101 134 163 201 235 269 302
3.4 39.304 39.652 40.002 40.354 40.708 41.064 41.422 41.782 42.144 42.509 36 71 107 142 178 214 249 285 320
3.5 42.87 43.24 43.61 43.99 44.36 44.74 45.12 45.50 45.88 46.27 4 8 11 15 19 23 26 30 34
3.6 46.66 47.05 47.44 47.83 48.23 48.63 49.03 49.43 49.84 50.24 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36
3.7 50.65 51.06 51.48 51.90 52.31 52.73 53.16 53.58 54.01 54.44 4 8 13 17 21 25 29 34 38
3.8 54.87 55.31 55.74 56.18 56.62 57.07 57.51 57.96 58.41 58.86 4 9 13 18 22 27 31 35 40
3.9 59.32 59.78 60.24 60.70 61.16 61.63 62.10 62.57 63.04 63.52 5 9 14 19 23 28 33 37 42
4.0 64.00 64.48 64.96 65.45 65.94 66.43 66.92 67.42 67.92 68.42 5 10 15 20 25 29 34 39 44
4.1 68.92 69.43 69.93 70.44 70.96 71.47 71.99 72.51 73.03 73.56 5 10 15 21 26 31 36 41 46
4.2 74.09 74.62 75.15 75.69 76.23 76.77 77.31 77.85 78.40 78.95 5 II 16 22 27 32 38 43 49
4.3 79.51 80.06 80.62 81.18 81.75 82.31 82.88 83.45 84.03 84.60 6 11 17 23 28 34 40 45 51
4.4 85.18 85.77 86.35 86.94 87.53 88.12 88.72 89.31 89.92 90.52 6 12 18 24 30 36 41 47 53
4.5 91.12 91.73 92.35 92.96 93.58 94.20 94.82 95.44 96.07 96.70 6 12 19 25 31 37 43 50 56
4.6 97.34 97.97 98.61 99.25 99.90 100.54 101.19 101.85 102.50 103.16 6 13 19 26 32 39 45 52 58
4.7 103.82 104.49 105.15 105.82 106.50 107.17 107.85 108.53 109.22 109.90 7 14 20 27 34 41 47 54 61
4.8 110.59 111.28 111.98 112.68 113.38 114.08 114.79 115.50 116.21 116.93 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63
4.9 117.65 118.37 119 10 119.82 120.55 121.29 122.02 122.76 123.51 124.25 7 15 22 29 37 44 51 59 66
5.0 125.000 125.75 12651 127.26 128.02 128.79 129.55 130.32 131.10 131.87 8 15 23 31 38 46 53 61 69
5.1 132.65 133.43 134.22 135.01 135.80 136.59 137.39 138.19 138.99 139.80 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 71
5.2 140.61 141.42 142.24 143.06 143.88 144.70 145.53 146.36 147.20 48.04 8 17 25 33 41 50 58 66 74
5.3 148.88 149.72 150.57 151.42 152.27 153.13 153.99 154.85 155.72 56.59 9 17 26 34 43 51 60 69 77
5.4 157.46 158.34 159.22 160.10 160.99 161.88 162.77 163.67 164.57 65.47 9 18 27 36 44 53 62 71 80

Example 3
Use tables to find the cube of each of the following:
(a) 1.8 (b) 2.12 (c) 3.254 (d) 0.76

Solution
(a) (1.8) 3 = 5.832
(b) (2.12) 3 = 9.528
(c) (3.254) 3 = 34.454
= 34.45 (4 s.f.)
(d) (0.76) 3 = (7.6 x 1 0 ) 1 3
 CUBES AND CUBE ROOTS 3

= 438.9
1 000
= 0.4389
Exercise 1.2
1. Use mathematical tables to find the cube of each of the following:
(a) 8.3 (b) 1.01 (c) 2.504 (d) 0.87 (e) 15.45
2. Use tables to find:
(a) (4.06) 3 (b) (6.312) 3 (c) (0.0912) 3

(d) (381.7) 3 (e) (2.1534) 3 (f) (5.3679) 3

3. A cubic building block measures 21 cm. Find its volume.

4. A cubic water tank has sides of length 2.143 m. What is the capacity of
the tank in litres?
1.3: Cube Roots using Factor Method
2x2x2 = 2 3

= 8

The cube root of 8 is 2, usually written as;

^8 = 2

Similarly, 27 = 3 x 3 x 3

••• 3/27=3
In general, the cube root of a number is the number that is multiplied by itself
three times to get the given number.
Example 4
Evaluate:

Solution

^216 = 3 / 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3
= 2x3
= 6
Example 5

Find:
Solution
 4 SECONDARY MATHEMATICS

= 3 / a x a x a x a x a x a x 3/b x b x b
=axaxb
= a^
Example 6
The volume of a cube is 1 000 cm . What is the length of the cube?
J

Solution
Volume of the cube, V = P
P = 1000

I = 3/iooo
= 3/l0 x 10 x 10
= 10
.-. The length of the cube is 10 cm.
Exercise 1.3
1- (a) 3/64 ^3/l25 ( ) ^3 375
c

27 93
(d) 3/S64 (e) 3/0512 (f) 3 ^
125
2. Evaluate:

3/^V 0>) 3 p 7 3/^7 <> ^ 2 7 x V

d

3. Find:
064 x 125 ~ , , 135.01 x 21.952
343 w V 6.859

(c) 3/(x - y)(x + y ) , when x = 76 and y = 49

4. The volume of a sphere is given by 171 r . Find the radius of a sphere

3

whose volume is 1047.816 cm . (Take 7t to be ^ )

3

The volume of material used to make a cube is 1 728 cm . What is the

3

length of the side of the cube?

6. The volume of water in a measuring cylinder reads 200 cm . When a 3

cube is immersed into the water, the cylinder reads 543 cm . Find: 3

(a) the volume of the cube.

(b) the length of the side of the cube.
p- . y A metallic cuboid measuring 16 cm by 8 cm by 4 cm was melted. The
material was then used to make a cube. What was the length of the cube?