Prepare for the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test. Ace your test with engaging multiple choice questions, detailed explanations, and invaluable hints. Boost your cognitive skills today!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


The volume of a rectangular prism is 100 cubic inches. What is the greatest possible length?

  1. 100 inches

  2. 10 inches

  3. 50 inches

  4. 60 inches

The correct answer is: 100 inches

To determine the greatest possible length of a rectangular prism with a volume of 100 cubic inches, we can use the formula for the volume of a rectangular prism, which is length × width × height. Given that we want to maximize the length while keeping the volume constant at 100 cubic inches, we must consider the impact of width and height on the calculations. If we maximize the length, we can minimize the product of width and height. Theoretically, one may consider reducing both width and height to their smallest practical values. In mathematical terms, if we set the width and height to be 1 inch each, then the calculation for volume becomes: Length × 1 × 1 = 100 cubic inches. Thus, solving for length, we find that: Length = 100 cubic inches / (1 × 1) = 100 inches. This means the maximum length that can be achieved while still maintaining a volume of 100 cubic inches is indeed 100 inches. Hence, the correct choice reflects the greatest possible length based on the volume constraint. This leads to the conclusion that 100 inches is valid because you can have other dimensions very small, allowing for the length to assume this maximum value.