A house has a floor area of 800 square meters. What is the floor area of this house in square feet? use the fact that 1 in. = 2.54 cm.
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
The floor area of the house in square feet is 8,611.13 square feet.
Explanation:
To convert from square meters to square feet, you first need to understand the relationship between meters and feet. The conversion starts with the given relationship between inches and centimeters.
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters
Since 1 foot = 12 inches, then:
1 foot = 12 inches × 2.54 cm/inch = 30.48 cm
Now convert centimeters to meters:
1 foot = 30.48 cm = 0.3048 meters
Thus, 1 meter = 1 / 0.3048 = 3.28084 feet approximately
However, since the floor area is in square meters, and we want square feet, the conversion factor must be squared:
(1 meter)^2 = (3.28084 feet)^2 = 10.7639 square feet
Now multiply the given floor area in square meters by the conversion factor:
800 square meters × 10.7639 square feet/square meter = 8,611.12 square feet
So, the floor area of the house is approximately 8,611.13 square feet.
Understanding unit conversions is crucial in many practical situations. Measurements in different regions use different units, with metric units common in most of the world and imperial units like feet used in the United States. Converting between units involves understanding the relationship between base units and applying those relationships correctly. In this case, knowing the conversion from inches to centimeters enabled a complete conversion from square meters to square feet. Calculating square conversions requires squaring the linear conversion factor, not just multiplying by it. This ensures accuracy when converting area rather than just length.