An acre is defined as a unit of land that is 1 chain (22 yards) by 1 furlong (220 yards). How many square meters is an acre?
The correct answer and explanation is:
An acre is equal to 4,046.86 square meters.
To understand how this conversion works, let’s start with the definition of an acre. An acre is a unit of land measurement that is 1 chain by 1 furlong.
- Chain: A chain is 22 yards.
- Furlong: A furlong is 220 yards.
To calculate the area of an acre in square yards, we multiply the length (chain) by the width (furlong): Area in square yards=22 yards×220 yards=4,840 square yards.\text{Area in square yards} = 22 \, \text{yards} \times 220 \, \text{yards} = 4,840 \, \text{square yards}.
Now, we need to convert square yards into square meters.
1 yard is equal to 0.9144 meters, so to convert square yards to square meters, we square the conversion factor: 1 square yard=(0.9144 meters)2=0.836127 square meters.1 \, \text{square yard} = (0.9144 \, \text{meters})^2 = 0.836127 \, \text{square meters}.
Thus, to convert 4,840 square yards into square meters, we multiply by 0.836127: Area in square meters=4,840 square yards×0.836127 square meters per square yard=4,046.86 square meters.\text{Area in square meters} = 4,840 \, \text{square yards} \times 0.836127 \, \text{square meters per square yard} = 4,046.86 \, \text{square meters}.
This gives us the final result: 1 acre is approximately 4,046.86 square meters. This unit of measurement is commonly used in the U.S. and the U.K. to define the size of land, especially in agricultural contexts. The acre is part of the imperial system, but when working internationally, especially in countries using the metric system, converting to square meters provides a more universal understanding of land area.