I having a hard time with this word problem: A backyard has dimensions 4 and 2/5 yards by 2 and 4/5 yards. What is the area of the backyard in square yards (yd^2)? Do I mulitiply and then simplify?
Yes, you do multiply and then simplify.
To make it easier to multiply, it is better to change the dimensions to decimals, 4.4 and 2.8, respectively.
I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
Thanks for your help
First, ditch the fractions.
Multiply 4.4 x 2.8 to get the answer in decimal square yards.
The answer is 12.32, in one step.
If you were doing it as fractions, you would have to go through these steps:
22/5 x 14/5 = 308/25 = 12 8/25
Both answers are the same, of course.
You're welcome! I'm glad I could help.
Yes, multiplying the dimensions and then simplifying the resulting fraction or decimal is the correct approach to find the area of the backyard in square yards.
By converting the mixed numbers to decimals, it makes it easier to multiply. So, in this case, you would multiply 4.4 yards by 2.8 yards, which gives you 12.32 square yards.
If you prefer working with fractions, you can multiply 22/5 yards by 14/5 yards. This gives you 308/25 yards squared. Simplifying this fraction gives you 12 8/25 square yards, which is equivalent to 12.32 square yards.
So, whether you work with decimals or fractions, the final answer for the area of the backyard is 12.32 square yards.