Question

The Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to revive 3 acres of contaminated soil by replacing the top 24 inches of the soil. Trucks with a hauling capacity of 28 cubic yards of soil are hired to remove the contaminated soil. How many full truckloads of contaminated soil will be hauled away?

Answer 1

346 trucks are needed

Explanation:

We know that one acre equals 43560 feet ^ 2

In this case the area is 3 acres. So:

`3\ acres * (43,560\ ft^2)/(1\ acre) = 130,680\ ft^2`

We know that 1 foot equals 12 inches. So:

`24\ in * (1\ ft)/(12\ in) = 2\ ft`

So the volume of the contaminated area is:

`V = 2* 130,680\ ft^3\\\\V = 261,360\ ft^3`

In a cubic yard there are 27 cubic feet. So:

`28\ yard^2 * (27\ ft^3)/(1\ yard^3) = 756\ ft^3`

Finally if we have a volume of
`261,360\ ft ^ 3` and each truck can transport
`756\ ft ^ 3` then the amount of trucks x we need is:

`x = (261,360\ ft ^ 3)/(756\ ft ^ 3) = 346\ trucks`