hi im stuck on this problem:

If a wooden block, 2in height, 3in width, and 6in length is sanded and 1/8 of an inch is removed from the top and from the bottom, how much is the volume of the block decreased?

thank u so much for your time

The volume of a 6 inch by 3 inch by 2 inch block is 6 x 3 x 2 = 36 cubic inches. If you sand  ¹/₈ of an inch off the top, (the orange strip in the diagram below), then the the volume removed is 6 x 3 x   x ¹/₈ = ⁹/₄ cubic inches.

If you sand off an identical piece from the bottom then you have removed another  ⁹/₄ cubic inches and thus the volume has decreased by  ⁹/₄ + ⁹/₄ = ⁹/₂ cubic inches.