If the diameter of a master cylinder is 1.5 inches, what is the area of the piston?

To calculate the area of the piston in the master cylinder, you would use the formula for the area of a circle, which is given by A = πr², where A is the area and r is the radius of the circle.

First, determine the radius from the diameter. Since the diameter of the master cylinder is 1.5 inches, you find the radius by dividing the diameter by 2:

Radius (r) = Diameter / 2 = 1.5 inches / 2 = 0.75 inches.

Next, plug the radius into the area formula:

A = π(0.75 inches)².

Calculating the radius squared:

(0.75 inches)² = 0.5625 square inches.

Now, multiply that by π (approximately 3.14):

A = 3.14 × 0.5625 = 1.76625 square inches.

Rounding this value to two decimal places gives approximately 1.77 square inches. Therefore, the calculated area of the piston is consistent with the correct answer. This demonstrates how using the formula for circle area and substituting the correct values leads you to determine the area accurately in an aviation maintenance context.