The area of the continental United States (i.e. the contiguous 48 states) is approximately 3,120,000 square miles, and the population of the 48 states is approximately 301 million people. Find the area, in acres, per person. (Note: one square mile is 640 acres.)
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Answer:
To find the area per person in acres:
- Total Area in Square Miles:
3,120,000 square miles3,120,000 \, \text{square miles}3,120,000square miles - Convert Square Miles to Acres:
3,120,000 sq mi×640 acres/sq mi=1,996,800,000 acres3,120,000 \, \text{sq mi} \times 640 \, \text{acres/sq mi} = 1,996,800,000 \, \text{acres}3,120,000sq mi×640acres/sq mi=1,996,800,000acres - Population:
301,000,000 people301,000,000 \, \text{people}301,000,000people - Area per Person in Acres: 1,996,800,000 acres301,000,000 people≈6.63 acres/person\frac{1,996,800,000 \, \text{acres}}{301,000,000 \, \text{people}} \approx 6.63 \, \text{acres/person}301,000,000people1,996,800,000acres≈6.63acres/person
Explanation
To calculate how much land area, in acres, is available per person in the contiguous United States, we must first understand the units involved and apply basic arithmetic.
We’re given the land area of the 48 contiguous U.S. states: 3,120,000 square miles. However, because the final answer requires acres per person, we need to convert this area into acres. The conversion factor is standard: 1 square mile = 640 acres. Multiplying the total square miles by this factor:3,120,000×640=1,996,800,000 acres3,120,000 \times 640 = 1,996,800,000 \text{ acres}3,120,000×640=1,996,800,000 acres
This means the 48 contiguous states contain nearly 2 billion acres of land.
Next, we’re told that the population of these 48 states is 301 million people. To determine how many acres are available per person, we divide the total land area in acres by the total number of people:1,996,800,000301,000,000≈6.63\frac{1,996,800,000}{301,000,000} \approx 6.63301,000,0001,996,800,000≈6.63
So, each person would have roughly 6.63 acres if the land were distributed equally.
This calculation gives us an average and helps visualize population density in terms of land availability. While in practice, people live in concentrated areas (cities, suburbs), and much of the land is forest, desert, or farmland, this number provides a broad perspective on the scale of U.S. geography relative to its population. Understanding acres per person also ties into studies of resource allocation, environmental planning, and sustainability. It reminds us that although the U.S. is vast, population growth and urbanization affect how that space is used.
