problem solving investigation: draw a diagram problem: kelly is using 3-inch square tiles to cover a 4-foot by 2-foot area the tiles are 0.5 inches tall if the tiles were stacked on top of each other to create a tower, how many inches tall would the tower be?

3+4+0.5

7.5

7.5

To solve this problem, let's break it down into smaller steps:

Step 1: Determine the area of the floor
The floor's dimensions are given as 4 feet by 2 feet. To find the area, we multiply the length by the width:
Area = length × width
Area = 4 feet × 2 feet
Area = 8 square feet

Step 2: Convert the area into 0.5-inch tiles
Since the tiles are 3 inches square, we need to convert the area from square feet to square inches. There are 12 inches in a foot, so:
Area in square inches = Area in square feet × 144 (since 12 inches × 12 inches = 144 square inches)
Area in square inches = 8 square feet × 144 square inches
Area in square inches = 1152 square inches

Step 3: Find the height of the tower
Each tile is 0.5 inches tall. To find the height of the tower, we divide the area by the height of a single tile:
Height of the tower = Area in square inches ÷ Height of a single tile
Height of the tower = 1152 square inches ÷ 0.5 inches
Height of the tower = 2304 inches

Therefore, if Kelly stacks the 3-inch tiles on top of each other to cover the 4-foot by 2-foot area, the tower would be 2304 inches tall.