Final answer:
Yes, there are 640 acres in a square mile. This conversion is significant in historical land division and remains relevant for modern real estate, agriculture, and land management.
Step-by-step explanation:
A student has inquired if there are 640 acres in a square mile, and indeed, that is the case. In the system used for land division, especially concerning the United States Public Land Survey System, a township is considered a square with each side measuring six miles in length. A township is further divided into 36 sections, with each section being one square mile.
Therefore, each section, which is also known as a square mile, contains exactly 640 acres. This division is useful for real estate and property management, among other applications. Knowing the conversion between acres and square miles is useful in a variety of scenarios, not just in the context of this historical and geographical framework, but also in contemporary land management and environmental studies.
For example, the average size of a U.S. farm in 1940 was 174 acres. Homesteaders would often purchase land in quarter sections of 160 acres or larger depending on the rainfall and the type of farming or ranching planned for the land. Quick calculations using acres and square miles help in understanding the scale of agricultural operations and real estate.
To further clarify an example involving acreage calculation, for a landscaping company tasked with mowing 1,345 acres, the remaining area left to mow after a certain number of hours can be determined using the equation ŷ = 1350 - 1.2x, where x is the number of hours spent mowing.