Stu is laying brick down to make a patio. He plans for the patio to be 12.5 feet by 18.3 feet. He orders enough brick for 247 square feet. Which statement about the amount of brick is correct?

Stu estimated correctly by rounding up. He ordered enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.
Stu estimated correctly by rounding down. He ordered enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.
Stu did not estimate correctly by rounding up. He did not order enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.
Stu did not estimate correctly by rounding down. He did not order enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.

1 answer

To evaluate the statements, we need to calculate the exact area of the patio and compare it to the amount of brick Stu ordered.

  1. Calculate the area: \[ \text{Area} = \text{Length} \times \text{Width} = 12.5 , \text{ft} \times 18.3 , \text{ft} \] \[ \text{Area} = 228.75 , \text{sq ft} \]

  2. Compare with the amount of brick ordered: Stu ordered enough brick for 247 square feet.

  3. Evaluate the statements:

    • The exact area is 228.75 square feet.
    • He ordered 247 square feet of brick, which is indeed enough since 247 is greater than 228.75.

Now we can go through each statement:

  1. Stu estimated correctly by rounding up. He ordered enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.

    • This is incorrect because we don't have any evidence that he rounded up in his estimation.
  2. Stu estimated correctly by rounding down. He ordered enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.

    • This statement cannot be confirmed without knowing what his original estimate was. So, it may or may not be correct.
  3. Stu did not estimate correctly by rounding up. He did not order enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.

    • Incorrect, because he ordered enough brick (247 sq ft) for the area (228.75 sq ft).
  4. Stu did not estimate correctly by rounding down. He did not order enough brick. The exact area is 228.75 square feet.

    • Incorrect, for the same reason as above: he ordered enough brick.

Conclusion: The statements regarding his estimation are ambiguous without knowing exactly how he rounded in his estimates, but the key fact is that Stu ordered enough brick based on the comparison of his order (247 sq ft) with the required area (228.75 sq ft). Therefore, all provided statements contain inaccuracies regarding his estimations about brick order capacity.