Which volume is larger: 5 cubic drawers with a 4 cm edge or 4 cubic drawers with a 5 cm edge?

In order to solve this problem, you need to know the formula for the volume of a cube. It looks like this:

V = a ^ 3, where V is the volume of the cube, and is the length of its edge.

Let’s calculate the total volume occupied by the boxes for each case separately:

1) 5 boxes with a cube edge length of 4 cm.

5 • V = 5 • a ^ 3 = 5 • 4 ^ 3 = 5 • 64 = 320 cm ^ 3.

2) 4 boxes with a cube edge length of 5 cm.

4 • V = 4 • a ^ 3 = 4 • 5 ^ 3 = 500 cm ^ 3.

Now let’s compare the received data. It’s obvious that:

320 cm ^ 3 <500 cm ^ 3.

Answer: The area of 5 boxes with a rib length of 4 cm is less than the area of 4 boxes with a rib length of 5 cm.