Answer:
The maximum error in calculating the surface area of the box is 72 square centimeters.
Step-by-step explanation:
From Geometry, the surface area of the closed rectangular box ([tex]A_{s}[/tex]), in square centimeters, is represented by the following formula:
[tex]A_{s} = w\cdot l + (w + l)\cdot h[/tex] (1)
Where:
[tex]w[/tex] - Width, in centimeters.
[tex]l[/tex] - Length, in centimeters.
[tex]h[/tex] - Height, in centimeters.
And the maximum error in calculating the surface area ([tex]\Delta A_{s}[/tex]), in square centimeters, is determined by the concept of total differentials, used in Multivariate Calculus:
[tex]\Delta A_{s} = \left(l+h\right)\cdot \Delta w + \left(w+h\right)\cdot \Delta l + (w+l)\cdot \Delta h[/tex] (2)
Where:
[tex]\Delta w[/tex] - Measurement error in width, in centimeters.
[tex]\Delta l[/tex] - Measurement error in length, in centimeters.
[tex]\Delta h[/tex] - Measurement error in height, in centimeters.
If we know that [tex]\Delta w = \Delta h = \Delta l = 0.2\,cm[/tex], [tex]w = 60\,cm[/tex], [tex]l = 50\,cm[/tex] and [tex]h = 70\,cm[/tex], then the maximum error in calculating the surface area is:
[tex]\Delta A_{s} = (120\,cm + 130\,cm + 110\,cm)\cdot (0.2\,cm)[/tex]
[tex]\Delta A_{s} = 72\,cm^{2}[/tex]
The maximum error in calculating the surface area of the box is 72 square centimeters.
