To find the surface area of the basketball, start by identifying its diameter, which is 9 inches.
1. Find the radius:
The radius is half of the diameter. Therefore, the radius is:
\(\[
\text{Radius} = \frac{\text{Diameter}}{2} = \frac{9}{2} = 4.5 \text{ inches}
\]\)
2. Calculate the surface area of the sphere:
The formula for the surface area of a sphere is:
\(\[
\text{Surface Area} = 4 \pi r^2
\]\)
Substitute the radius into the formula:
\(\[
\text{Surface Area} = 4 \pi (4.5)^2
\]\)
3. Compute the value:
First, calculate \(\( (4.5)^2 \)\):
\(\[
(4.5)^2 = 20.25
\]\)
Now, multiply by \(\( 4 \pi \)\):
\(\[
4 \pi \times 20.25 \approx 4 \times 3.14159 \times 20.25 \approx 254.46900494077323 \text{ square inches}
\]\)
4. Round to the nearest hundredth:
The surface area rounded to the nearest hundredth would be:
\(\[
254.47 \text{ square inches}
\]\)
Thus, the surface area of the basketball is about:
\(\[
\boxed{254.47}
\]\) square inches.
