Question

Using only your common knowledge, estimate how many hamburgers are eaten in the US each year. Then estimate the volume that would be occupied by the (unsquished) hamburgers.

Answer 1

The population of the US is around 300 million. Assume that each person eats 1 hamburger on average every week. There are 52 weeks in a year.

Number of hamburgers eaten each year = 300 million * 1 * 52

Number of hamburgers eaten each year = 15.6 billion hamburgers.

Assume that the average size of an unsquished hamburger is 4 inches * 4 inches * 4 inches.

A burger is cylindrical in shape.

Volume of a cylinder =  $\pi$r²h,  

where r = radius of a cylinder. This is 2 inches, since we assumed that the burger is 4 inches wide in the center.

h = 4 inches, as per our assumption.

Volume of 1 hamburger =  $\pi$ * 2² * 4

Volume of 1 hamburger = 50.27 cubic inches.

Volume of 15.6 billion hamburgers =  50.27 cubic inches * 15.6 billion

Volume of 15.6 billion hamburgers = 784,141,526,336 cubic inches.

1728 cubic inches make 1 cubic foot.

Volume of 15.6 billion hamburgers =  784,141,526,336 cubic inches / 1728

Volume of 15.6 billion hamburgers = 453,785,606 cubic feet