What is the approximate volume, in cubic inches, of a container that holds three tennis balls with a diameter of 3 inches each?

To determine the volume of a container that can hold three tennis balls, we first need to find the volume of a single tennis ball. Since tennis balls are spherical, their volume can be calculated using the formula for the volume of a sphere, which is:

[ V = \frac{4}{3} \pi r^3 ]

In this case, the diameter of each tennis ball is 3 inches, which gives a radius of:

[ r = \frac{diameter}{2} = \frac{3}{2} = 1.5 , \text{inches} ]

Now, substituting the radius into the volume formula:

[ V = \frac{4}{3} \pi (1.5)^3 ]

Calculating ( (1.5)^3 ):

[ (1.5)^3 = 3.375 ]

Now substituting this value back into the volume formula:

[ V = \frac{4}{3} \pi \times 3.375 ]

Calculating this gives us:

[ V \approx \frac{4}{3} \times 3.14159 \times 3.375 \approx 14.137 , \text