Final answer:
To calculate the square yards of carpet needed to cover a floor, measure the total square inches of the area, then use the proportion of total square inches to 1,296 to find the total square yards.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many square yards of carpet are needed to cover the floor, we can set up a proportion using the conversion factor that 1 square yard is 1,296 square inches. First, we need to know the total square inches of the area to be covered by the carpet. Once that measurement is obtained, we can set up the proportion as follows
This proportion states that the total square inches of the carpet area divided by 1,296 (the number of square inches in one square yard) is equal to the total square yards of carpet needed.
By solving for the total square yards of carpet area, we multiply the total square inches of carpet by 1 yd2 and then divide by 1,296 in2 to get the result:
total square yards of carpet area = (total square inches of carpet area × 1 yd2) / 1,296 in2
This calculation will give us the number of square yards needed to cover the floor with carpet.