The real-world problem that is most likely to involve irrational numbers is finding the side length of a square based on the area.
This is because if you have an area \(A\) of a square and you want to find the side length \(s\), you use the formula \(A = s^2\). Therefore, \(s = \sqrt{A}\). If \(A\) is not a perfect square, then the value of \(s\) will be an irrational number. For example, if \(A = 2\), then \(s = \sqrt{2}\), which is an irrational number.
The other options provided either lead to rational values or would not necessarily yield irrational numbers.