To find the area of the quilt, we need to know the dimensions of the quilt in terms of the number of small squares that make up the quilt. Let's assume that the quilt is made up of n rows of small squares and m columns of small squares. Then the total number of small squares in the quilt is n x m.
If each small square has a side length of 3 inches, then the length of a row of small squares is 3m inches, and the height of a column of small squares is 3n inches. Therefore, the area of the quilt in square inches is:
Area = (length) x (height) = (3m) x (3n) = 9mn
where mn is the total number of small squares in the quilt.
For example, if the quilt is made up of 8 rows and 10 columns of small squares, then the total number of small squares is 8 x 10 = 80, and the area of the quilt is:
Area = 9mn = 9 x 80 = 720 square inches
So the area of the quilt is 720 square inches.