To determine how many bags of mulch Nicholas needs, we first need to calculate the area of the triangular area he is covering. The formula for the area \( A \) of a triangle is:
\[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height} \]
Given that the base is 22 feet and the height is 10 feet, we can substitute those values into the formula:
\[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 22 \times 10 \] \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 220 \] \[ A = 110 \text{ square feet} \]
Now, we know that one bag of mulch covers 8 square feet. To find out how many bags of mulch are needed, we will divide the total area by the coverage of one bag:
\[ \text{Number of bags} = \frac{\text{Area}}{\text{Coverage per bag}} = \frac{110}{8} \]
Calculating this gives:
\[ \text{Number of bags} = 13.75 \]
Since Nicholas cannot purchase a fraction of a bag, he will need to round up to the nearest whole number. Therefore, he needs 14 bags of mulch.
The answer is 14 bags.