Question

a new homeowner is painting the walls of a room. the walls have a total area of 253 square feet. a quart of paint covers 46 square feet. if paint is sold in whole quarts only, how many quarts are needed?

1. understand the problem. reread it as many times as needed.

which sentence below describes the solution to this problem?

a. the area being painted is the area covered by a quart divided by the number of quarts needed, rounded up to the nearest square foot.

b. the number of quarts needed is the area being painted divided by the area covered by a quart, rounded up to the nearest whole quart.

c. the number of quarts needed is the area covered by a quart divided by the area being painted, rounded up to the nearest whole quart.

d. the area being painted is the number of quarts needed divided by the area covered by a quart, rounded up to the nearest square foot.

Explanation:

To determine the number of quarts needed, we use the formula: Number of quarts = Total area to paint / Area covered per quart. Since paint is sold in whole quarts, we round up to the nearest whole quart.

• Option A: Incorrect. The area being painted is not calculated by dividing quart coverage by quarts needed.
• Option B: Correct. It matches the formula (quarts = total area / area per quart) and the rounding up for whole quarts.
• Option C: Incorrect. It reverses the division (quart coverage / total area), which is wrong.
• Option D: Incorrect. It incorrectly defines the area being painted.

Answer:

B. The number of quarts needed is the area being painted divided by the area covered by a quart, rounded up to the nearest whole quart.