Orchid wants to retile her bathroom floor, which has an area of 40 square feet. She is deciding between two types of custom tiles. The square tile is [tex]$\frac{1}{2}$[/tex] foot by [tex]$\frac{1}{2}$[/tex] foot and costs [tex]$\$[/tex] 0.45[tex]$ per tile. The rectangular tile is 2 feet by $[/tex]\frac{1}{4}[tex]$ foot and costs $[/tex]\[tex]$ 0.80$[/tex] per tile.

Which tile should Orchid choose to minimize costs? Explain.

A. She should choose the square tiles because the total cost will be [tex]$\$[/tex] 8$ less.
B. She should choose the rectangular tiles because the total cost will be [tex]$\$[/tex] 8$ less.
C. She should choose the square tiles because the total cost will be [tex]$\$[/tex] 14$ less.
D. She should choose the rectangular tiles because the total cost will be [tex]$\$[/tex] 14$ less.



Answer :

To determine which tile Orchid should choose to minimize costs, we need to follow these steps:

1. Calculate the area of each type of tile:
- For the square tile:
[tex]\[ \text{Area} = \left(\frac{1}{2}\ \text{foot}\right)^2 = \frac{1}{4}\ \text{square feet} \][/tex]
- For the rectangular tile:
[tex]\[ \text{Area} = 2\ \text{feet} \times \frac{1}{4}\ \text{foot} = \frac{1}{2}\ \text{square feet} \][/tex]

2. Determine the number of tiles needed to cover the bathroom floor:
- Total area of the bathroom = 40 square feet.
- For the square tiles:
[tex]\[ \text{Number of square tiles} = \frac{\text{Total Area of Bathroom}}{\text{Area of one square tile}} = \frac{40\ \text{square feet}}{\frac{1}{4}\ \text{square feet per tile}} = 160\ \text{tiles} \][/tex]
- For the rectangular tiles:
[tex]\[ \text{Number of rectangular tiles} = \frac{\text{Total Area of Bathroom}}{\text{Area of one rectangular tile}} = \frac{40\ \text{square feet}}{\frac{1}{2}\ \text{square feet per tile}} = 80\ \text{tiles} \][/tex]

3. Calculate the total cost for each type of tile:
- Square tiles cost [tex]$\$[/tex] 0.45$ each:
[tex]\[ \text{Total cost for square tiles} = \text{Number of square tiles} \times \text{Cost per tile} = 160 \times 0.45 = 72\ \text{dollars} \][/tex]
- Rectangular tiles cost [tex]$\$[/tex] 0.80$ each:
[tex]\[ \text{Total cost for rectangular tiles} = \text{Number of rectangular tiles} \times \text{Cost per tile} = 80 \times 0.80 = 64\ \text{dollars} \][/tex]

4. Compare the total costs to determine the more economical option:
- Total cost for square tiles = \$72.
- Total cost for rectangular tiles = \$64.
- Difference in cost between the two options:
[tex]\[ \text{Difference} = 72\ \text{dollars} - 64\ \text{dollars} = 8\ \text{dollars} \][/tex]

Since the total cost for the rectangular tiles is less than the total cost for the square tiles by \$8, Orchid should choose the rectangular tiles.

Conclusion: She should choose the rectangular tiles because the total cost will be \$8.00 less.

Other Questions