Question

A rectangular waterbed is 7 ft long, 4 ft wide, and 1.5 ft tall. How many gallons of water are needed to fill the waterbed? Assume 1 gallon is 0.13 cu ft. Round to the nearest whole gallon

Answer 1

First, we need to calculate the volume of the rectangular waterbed. The volume is given by the formula:
Volume = length * width * height

Plugging in the given values:
Volume = 7 ft * 4 ft * 1.5 ft
Volume = 42 cu ft

Next, we need to convert the volume into gallons. We are told that 1 gallon is 0.13 cu ft. Thus, the conversion factor from cubic feet to gallons is:
1 gallon = 0.13 cu ft

To convert the volume to gallons, we divide the volume by the conversion factor:
Volume in gallons = Volume in cu ft / 0.13

Plugging in the calculated volume:
Volume in gallons = 42 cu ft / 0.13

Using a calculator:
Volume in gallons ≈ 323.08 gallons

Rounding to the nearest whole gallon:
Volume in gallons ≈ 323 gallons

Therefore, approximately 323 gallons of water are needed to fill the waterbed.