Question 6 A floor for a 4-meter square shed must be fabricated. The area of the floor is a. 16 m³ b. 16 m² c. 64 m² d. 64 m³
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: b. 16 m²
Explanation:
To find the area of the floor of a square shed, you use the formula for the area of a square, which is:Area=side length×side length\text{Area} = \text{side length} \times \text{side length}Area=side length×side length
In this case, the shed is described as a 4-meter square, meaning each side of the floor is 4 meters long. Thus:Area=4 m×4 m=16 m2\text{Area} = 4 \, \text{m} \times 4 \, \text{m} = 16 \, \text{m}^2Area=4m×4m=16m2
This result is in square meters, which is the standard unit for measuring area. The correct unit is important. Area represents the amount of surface covered, and the unit used is square meters, written as m². It is not volume, which is measured in cubic meters (m³). Volume measures how much space something occupies in three dimensions, while area is only concerned with two dimensions, such as length and width.
The incorrect choices can be explained as follows:
- a. 16 m³: This is a unit of volume, not area, so it is not suitable here.
- c. 64 m²: This is the area of a square with side length 8 meters, not 4 meters.
- d. 64 m³: This is again a unit of volume and also uses an incorrect numerical value.
Understanding the difference between square meters and cubic meters is critical. Square meters describe flat surfaces like floors, walls, and fields. Cubic meters describe the volume of objects such as tanks, rooms, or containers.
In summary, for a square floor where each side is 4 meters, the correct calculation is 4 × 4 = 16, and the correct unit is square meters. Therefore, the area of the floor is 16 m², making option b the correct answer.
