How to solve this word problem?

Question

Bob and Carol want to hire Able Refinishing to sand and refinish the dining room floor to match the floor in the living room. Able charges $2.89 per square foot to sand and refinish a hardwood floor. The dining room is rectangular and measures 17 feet 8 inches by 11 feet 8 inches. Find the area of the dining room floor, rounded up to the next square foot, and the cost of the work

Answer 1

Because the room is shaped like a rectangle, we can calculate its area by using the formula A=lw, where A is the area, and l and w are the length and width, respectively. Since Able charges by the square foot, we need to convert the dimensions of the room into feet.

 

17 feet 8 inches becomes 17 2/3 feet (17.666 ft) and 11 feet 8 inches becomes 11 2/3 feet (11.666 ft). Multiplying these dimension together gives un an approximate area of 206.09 ft.². Following the directions of the problem, we round up to 207 ft.².

 

To calculate the cost of the work, we multiply the area by the cost per sq. ft., which gives us : (2.89)(207). This equals $598.23

Answer 2

Let's recall what the formula is for the area of a rectangular space: Area = l × w, where l and w are adjacent sides. From the information in the problems, let's say that:

 

l = 17ft 8in

w = 11ft 8in

 

So the area = 17ft-8in × 11ft-8in. You may want to consider converting the dimensions a common unit (either entirely in feet or inches) so you can easily multiply the two. So, you could try converting to just inches:

 

l = (17ft × 12) + 8

= 212 in

 

w = (11ft × 12) + 8

= 140 in

 

a = 212 × 140

= 29,680 in²

 

Convert to feet and round up to the nearest whole foot. (Hint: divide by 12²!) Then multiply by $2.89.

Answer 3

17 feet 8 inches=17 2/3 feet

11 feet 8 inches=11 2/3 feet

17 2/3 times 11 2/3

53/3 * 35/3=1855/9=206.111... square feet rounded up to 207 square feet

207*$2.89=$598.23