Algebra

 

I have to paint one side of a wall.  The wall is $15$ meters tall and $60$ meters long.  Each gallon of paint covers $400$ square feet. If a foot is approximately $0.3048$ meters, then what is the smallest whole number of gallons I can buy and have enough paint to cover the whole wall?     

 

   1 ft = 0.3048 m     —>     1 m = (1 / 0.3048) ft = 3.2808 ft     

   

   H_wall = (15)(3.2808) ft =   49.212 ft     

   L_wall  = (60)(3.2808) ft = 196.848 ft     —>     Area_wall = (49.212 ft)(196.848 ft)     

                                                                                        = 9687.284 sqft     

   

   Paint req'd     —>     (9687.284 sqft) / (400 ^sqft/_gallon)  =  24.218 gal     

                 You can't buy 0.218 gallon, so you need to buy 25 gallons.     

   _.