Modern commercial airliners are largely made of aluminum, a light and strong metal. But the fact that aluminum is cheap enough that airplanes can be made out of it is a bit of historical luck. Before the discovery of the Hall-Héroult process in 1886, aluminum was as rare and expensive as gold. What would happen if airplanes had to be made of steel? The fuselage of the Embraer E170, which can carry 78 passengers, is approximately a hollow aluminum cylinder without ends, 30.0 m long, 2.5 m wide, and 2.5 mm thick (see sketch at right). The fuselage of an airplane Suppose this fuselage was made of steel (density 7.87 g/cm) instead of aluminum (density 2.70 g/cm), and let's say the average passenger has a mass of 82kg. We'll also assume the engines can't lift any greater mass than they already do. Calculate the number of passengers that the Embraer E170 could carry if its fuselage was made of steel.

Modern commercial airliners are largely made of aluminum, a light and strong metal. But the fact that aluminum is cheap enough that airplanes can be made out of it is a bit of historical luck. Before the discovery of the Hall-Héroult process in 1886, aluminum was as rare and expensive as gold. What would happen if airplanes had to be made of steel? The fuselage of the Embraer E170, which can carry 78 passengers, is approximately a hollow aluminum cylinder without ends, 30.0 m long, 2.5 m wide, and 2.5 mm thick (see sketch at right). The fuselage of an airplane Suppose this fuselage was made of steel (density 7.87 g/cm) instead of aluminum (density 2.70 g/cm), and let's say the average passenger has a mass of 82kg. We'll also assume the engines can't lift any greater mass than they already do. Calculate the number of passengers that the Embraer E170 could carry if its fuselage was made of steel.