Complete in Metric Conversions:
A mulch layer 2 inches thick is to be spread over a bed of landscape plants to prevent weed growth and preserve soil moisture. If the bed measures 8ft x 20ft, how many bags of mulch must you buy? Each bag contains 3 cubic feet of mulch.
To calculate the number of bags of mulch needed, we need to convert the dimensions from feet to inches, calculate the volume of the mulch required, and then divide by the volume of each bag.
Step 1: Convert the dimensions from feet to inches:
Since there are 12 inches in a foot, we can calculate:
Length = 8 ft x 12 in/ft = 96 inches
Width = 20 ft x 12 in/ft = 240 inches
Step 2: Calculate the volume of mulch required:
Since the mulch layer is 2 inches thick, we multiply the length, width, and thickness to find the volume in cubic inches:
Volume = Length x Width x Thickness = 96 in x 240 in x 2 in = 46,080 cubic inches
Step 3: Convert the volume from cubic inches to cubic feet:
Since there are 1,728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, we divide the volume by 1,728 to obtain the volume in cubic feet:
Volume = 46,080 cubic inches / 1,728 cubic inches/ft^3 = 26.67 cubic feet
Step 4: Divide the total volume by the volume of each bag:
Since each bag contains 3 cubic feet of mulch, we divide the total volume by 3 to find the number of bags needed:
Number of bags = Volume / Volume per bag = 26.67 cubic feet / 3 cubic feet/bag = 8.89 bags
Therefore, you would need to buy approximately 8.89 bags of mulch (rounding up to the nearest whole number) to cover the bed.