December 2010
Problem of the Month

Whiskeytown Lake Problem

Whiskeytown Lake in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in California has a 36 mile shoreline and a surface area of 3,200 acres.

If the lake were circular, what would be the area if it had a circumference of 36 miles?
(Give your answer in acres).

Solution to the Problem:

The answer is 66,004 acres.

C = pi * d
36 miles = pi * d
18 / pi = r
So, r = 5.7296 miles = 30,252 feet
A = 2,875,166,387 square feet
Since there are 43,560 square feet in an acre,
A = 66,004 acres.

Correctly solved by:

1. Steven R. Muller	Clear Brook, Virginia
2. Victoria Johnson	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
3. Jacob Harmon	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
4. Josey Pitts	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
5. David & Judy Dixon	Bennettsville, South Carolina
6. John Funk	Ventura, California

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher