To cover an area of 52 feet by 74 feet using 1/2 inch by 4 foot by 8 foot sheets of plywood, how many sheets will be needed?

To determine the number of sheets of plywood needed to cover an area of 52 feet by 74 feet, we first calculate the total area to be covered. The area is computed by multiplying the length by the width:

52 feet × 74 feet = 3,848 square feet.

Next, we need to calculate the area of a single sheet of plywood. The dimensions given for the plywood sheets are 4 feet by 8 feet. Thus, the area of one sheet is:

4 feet × 8 feet = 32 square feet.

Now, to find out how many sheets are necessary to cover the total area, we divide the total area by the area of one sheet of plywood:

3,848 square feet ÷ 32 square feet per sheet = 120.25 sheets.

Since you cannot use a fraction of a sheet in practice, we must round up to the nearest whole number. This means that even though 120 sheets would not be enough to cover the entire area, needing a fraction of an additional sheet indicates that 121 sheets are necessary to ensure complete coverage. Therefore, the answer is 121 sheets, confirming that this option is indeed the correct choice.