Question

A contractor is applying 4 in. by 4 in. by 6 mm tiles to the interior of a pool in the shape of a rectangular prism. The contractor wants to estimate how many tiles it will take to cover all of the interior walls and floor of the pool. Which statement is true?

A. The contractor should use estimates of square inches since the number of tiles will depend on the volume of the pool more than the surface area.
B. The contractor should use estimates of square inches since the number of tiles will depend on the volume of the pool more than the surface area.
C. The contractor should use estimates of square inches since the number of tiles will depend on the surface area of the pool more than the volume.
D. The contractor should use estimates of square inches since the number of tiles will depend on the surface area of the pool more than the volume.
E. The contractor should use estimates of cubic inches since the number of tiles will depend on the volume of the pool more than the surface area. F. The contractor should use estimates of cubic inches since the number of tiles will depend on the volume of the pool more than the surface area. G. The contractor cannot estimate the number of tiles used since the measurements include both inches and millimeters.

Answer 1

The contractor should calculate the number of tiles needed for the pool based on the surface area, using square inches as the measure, since tiles cover surface area, not volume.

Step-by-step explanation:

A contractor applying 4 in. by 4 in. by 6 mm tiles to the interior of a pool should estimate the number of tiles needed based on the surface area that needs to be covered, not the volume of the pool. Tiles cover surface area, so the correct approach for estimation would be to calculate the surface area of the pool in square inches and then determine how many tiles will fit in that area. Since a pool is a three-dimensional shape, consideration of the length, width, and height is needed to calculate the surface area of the sides and bottom.

Therefore, the correct statement is: C. The contractor should use estimates of square inches since the number of tiles will depend on the surface area of the pool more than the volume.