Answer: The length of each tile is 3 1/8 inches and the width is 2 3/4 inches. To find the area of one tile, we need to multiply the length and width:
Area of one tile = (3 1/8) x (2 3/4)
= (25/8) x (11/4)
= 275/32
Therefore, the area of 9 tiles is:
Area of 9 tiles = 9 x (275/32)
= 2475/32
= 77.34 (rounded to two decimal places)
Since Chris cannot use a fraction of a tile, he can cover the greatest area by arranging the tiles in a rectangle with as close to equal length and width as possible. Let x be the length of the rectangle and y be the width. Then:
x = (number of tiles in length) x (length of one tile)
= 3 x 3 1/8
= 9 3/8
y = (number of tiles in width) x (width of one tile)
= 3 x 2 3/4
= 8 1/4
The area of the rectangle is:
Area of rectangle = x * y
= (9 3/8) * (8 1/4)
= 77.34 (rounded to two decimal places)
Therefore, the greatest area Chris can cover with these tiles is 77.34 square inches, using all 9 tiles arranged in a rectangle.
Explanation: