If one slave could work three acres of cotton, how many slaves might a plantation owner need if he had 500 acres of land?
If one slave could work three acres of cotton, a plantation owner with 500 acres of land would need approximately 167 slaves. Here's the calculation:
Number of slaves = Total acres of land / Acres of land one slave can work
Number of slaves = 500 acres / 3 acres
Number of slaves ≈ 166.67
Therefore, the plantation owner would need around 167 slaves to tend to his 500 acres of land.
To determine the number of slaves a plantation owner might need if he had 500 acres of land, we need to calculate the ratio of acres per slave.
Given that one slave can work three acres of cotton, we can set up a proportion:
1 slave / 3 acres = X slaves / 500 acres
To solve for X, we can cross-multiply:
1 * 500 = 3 * X
500 = 3X
Next, we can divide both sides of the equation by 3 to isolate X:
500 / 3 = X
X ≈ 166.67
Since you can't have a fraction of a slave, the plantation owner would most likely need to round up the number. Therefore, the plantation owner might need approximately 167 slaves to work the 500 acres of land.
To determine the number of slaves needed, we can divide the total acres of land by the number of acres one slave can work.
1 slave can work 3 acres of cotton, so for 500 acres of land:
Number of slaves needed = 500 acres / 3 acres per slave
Number of slaves needed = 166.67 slaves
Since we cannot have a fraction of a slave, we would round up to the next whole number. Therefore, the plantation owner would need approximately 167 slaves to work 500 acres of land.