On a scale drawing, a rectangle 1 inch by 1 1/3 inches represents the

The dimensions of the floor:
\(1 \ in'=15 \ ft=15\cdot 12 \ in\)
\(\frac{4}{3} \ in'=\frac{4}{3}\cdot 15=20 \ ft=20\cdot 12 \ in\)

Since, in inches, each dimension of the floor is a multiple of the side length of a square tile, the number of tiles needed is the ratio of the floor area to the area of a square tile.

\(\frac{15\cdot 12\cdot 20 \cdot 12}{6\cdot 6}=30\cdot 40=1200\)

Answer: E

1 inch = 15 feet
4/3 inch = 20 feet.
Convert to inches now => 15*12=180; 20*12=240. So, we are getting 180 by 240 or 30(180/6)*40(240/6)=1200 (E)

If the scale of the drawing is 1 inch = 15 feet, then the room has dimensions of 15 ft by 20 ft. Therefore, the area of the room is 15 x 20 = 300 sq. ft. Since each tile is 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4 sq. ft, we need 300/(1/4) = 300 x 4 = 1,200 tiles to cover the floor of the room.

Answer: E

Convert the drawing from inches to feet and you end up with a rectangle that is 20ft by 15ft
each tile is 6 inches or 1/2 ft

20ft/ 1/2ft per tile = 40 tiles
15ft / 1/2ft per tile = 30 tiles
40*30 = 1200

I really donot understand how the borh statement can be true :

o 1 inch = 15 feet
o 1 feet = 12 inches

According to statement 1 , we can say that:
12 inches =300feet which is not aligned with the statement 2.
So basically we have two scales so we have two measurements.
Can somebody please explain :

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GMAThunterr
o 1 inch = 15 feet - This is the scale conversion i,.e. 1 inch on scale = 15 feet actually
o 1 feet = 12 inches - This is the real conversion of foot into inches.

Please help to figure out my problem:
What I did is:
1 inch = 15 feet
4/3 inch = 20 feet
so, the area of the floor is 15 x 20 = 300

area of the tiles is 6^2 = 36 square inch, which is 36/12 = 3 feet
Hence the required number of tiles is = 300/3 = 100

So, I can't convert square inch into feet, right? As 12 inches = 1 foot, not 12 square inches, is that?

Exactly. You must convert "square inches" into "square feet".

I think the confusion on this one may be accidentally conflating 1 foot (12 inches) with the measurement of 1 square foot. 1 square foot is 144 square inches.

The solutions others have provided are the fastest ways to solve it, but to think about it differently:

Convert the Scale Drawing of the Floor to Full Scale
1 inch at scale = 15 feet.
4/3 inch at scale = 20 feet.

Calculate the Area of the Floor
15 feet * 20 feet = 300 square feet.
300 feet * 144 (1 square foot in square inches) = 43,200 square inches.

Calculate the Area of One Tile
6 inches * 6 inches = 36 square inches.

Calculate Total Tiles to Cover the Entire Floor
43,200 square inches / 36 square inches = 1,200 tiles to cover the floor.

This is a long way to solve the problem that would not be optimal for the test, but maybe it will help make sense of it for those who are still getting 100 tiles (incorrectly calculating it as I first did: 15*20=300, 300*12=3600/(6*6)=100). Also, I'm not great at math... AndrewN or ScottTargetTestPrep, can you validate the rationale I've laid out?

Yes, DaenerysTargaryen, you have it just right. (If you are wondering how I solved the problem, I converted the tile dimensions to feet instead. Why? Because I am lazy, and I would rather work with smaller numbers.) I like to say that as long as you end up with the correct answer within a reasonable amount of time, there is no wrong way to solve a question. Well done on this one.

- Andrew

Answer: Option E

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can we also do 15*20/(1/2*1/2)= 30*40 =1200?

Yes. You are dividing the area of the room which is 15*20 = 300 square feet, by the area of one tile, which is 1/2*1/2 = 1/4 square feet, to get the number of tiles.

Why I got this question wrong because od the dimension unit which is mentioned incorrectly [ 1 inch by 4/3 inches] which is creating confusion can please correct the unit. Bunuel
Thanks

\(1\frac{1}{3}=\frac{4}{3}\), so all is correct there, or you meant something else?