Math 29 Landers Unit 1: Introduction to course concepts 3. Joe is paving a small rectangular space just outside his back door with concrete pavers that are
1-ft by 1-ft and cost $1.45 each. He measured the area and it is 36-in by 65-in. He has done
the following calculation and feels that something must be wrong because he can't believe this
project would cost $282.75. Find Joe's mistake and explain it to him.
Hint: Draw a picture of a paver that will help Joe understand his error.
Joe's reasoning:
"The patio is a rectangle, so its area is 36-inches x 65-inches = 2340 square inches.
The pavers are measured in feet. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, converting the area to
feet I get 2340+ 12 = 195 feet. Since the pavers are 1-foot by 1-foot, I need 195 pavers,
which will cost me 195x$1.45=$282.75!"