Jim is installing ceramic tile behind his kitchen sink. Each tile is a square with side length 4 1/4 inches. For each tile, he allows an additional 1/8 inch per side for the grout between tiles. How many tiles should he buy if the space measures 2.1 square feet?

Question

What is the equation that should be used to solve the above word problem?

Answer 1

You have to know the dimensions of the space, tiles cant be squeezed to fit, there will be some waste.

For instance, if the dimensions were 1ft x 2.1 ft, fitting tiles along the 1 ft side would take three tiles, and along the 2.1 ft would take six tiles, for a total of 18.

If the dimensions were 17.4 inches x 17.4 inches it would take 16.