Question

The three Miller boys were calculating the volume of their new fish tank to determine how many gallons of water the tank can hold. Each brother measured a different dimension of the tank. Their measurements were 1 yard in length, 1 foot in width, and 18 inches in height.

1. There are approximately 7.5 gallons per cubic foot. If you want to know how many gallons of water the tank can hold, what unit of measure would you use to calculate the volume of the fish tank? Explain why

2. Determine how many gallons of water the fish tank can hold. Carefully show your work and include units of measure.​

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

1. ft
2. 33.75 gal

Explanation:

1. The conversion factor is given in gallons per cubic foot. So, to avoid more conversion factors than necessary, it is convenient to use feet as the unit of measure.

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2. The dimensions are ...

1 yd × 3 ft/yd = 3 ft . . . . length

18 in × 1 ft/(12 in) = 1.5 ft . . . . height

So, the volume is ...

V = LWH = (3 ft)(1 ft)(1.5 f) = 4.5 ft³

Then the number of gallons is ...

(4.5 ft³)×(7.5 gal/ft³) = 33.75 gal