Jim is installing ceramic tile behind his kitchen sink. Each tile is a square with side length 4 1/4 inches. For each tile, he allows an additional 1/8 inch per side for the grout between tiles. How many tiles should he buy if the space measures 2.1 square feet?

What is the equation that should be used to solve the above word problem?

You have to know the dimensions of the space, tiles cant be squeezed to fit, there will be some waste.

For instance, if the dimensions were 1ft x 2.1 ft, fitting tiles along the 1 ft side would take three tiles, and along the 2.1 ft would take six tiles, for a total of 18.

If the dimensions were 17.4 inches x 17.4 inches it would take 16.

To solve this word problem, we need to find the number of tiles that Jim should buy. We are given the side length of each tile (4 1/4 inches) and the additional space for grout (1/8 inch per side). We also have the area of the space to be tiled (2.1 square feet).

The equation we can use to solve this problem is as follows:

Total Area = Number of Tiles * Area per Tile

We can break down this equation further to:
Area per Tile = (Tile Side Length + 2 * Grout Width)^2

Now let's substitute the given values into the equation and solve for the number of tiles.