Applications

You are managing a hazardous spill. It’s soaked an area of soil 8 inches deep, 40 feet long and 30 feet wide. If a dump truck typically hauls 10 cubic yards of soil, how many loads will need to be hauled to remove the contaminated earth?

This is the type of problem we want to get good at solving! We’ll learn how to approach this multifaceted problem in an organized way to reach a solution we are confident in.

Let’s look at the problem from the Applications section above to come up with a general approach that will help us successfully solve applied problems that include a geometry component.

Step 1: Sketch a picture

On the job, sometimes you’ll be given drawings for a project. Other times, you’ll have a vision that you’re in charge of making real.

Step 2: What shapes are involved?

Step 3: What formulas do you have for these shapes?

Step 4: Are the units you are given different than the units the answer will be in?

Step 6: Use the formulas

Step 7: Convert units of measurement if needed

Step 8: What else does the situation require?

Step 10: Does my answer make sense?