Question

A building contractor is to dig a foundation 42 feet long, 24 feet wide, and 6 feet deep. The contractor pays $20 per load for trucks to remove the dirt. Each truck holds 8 cubic yards. What is the cost to the contractor to have all the dirt hauled away? The cost of the contractor is $ _

Answer 1

The foundation has the following dimensions:

42 feet x 24 feet x 6 feet

Converting to yards, and knowing that 1 yard = 3 feet, the dimensions are:

42/3 = 14 yd

24/3 = 8 yd

4/3 = 2 yd

Thus the volume of dirt to remove is:

V = 14 yd x 8 yd x 2 yd

V = 224 cubic yards

Each truck holds 8 cubic yards, so the contractor needs to pay for:

224 / 8 = 28 trucks.

He pays $20 per load truck, so the total cost is:

$20 x 28 = $560

The cost of the contractor is $560