SOLUTION: Hello, I am trying to help my daughter with this question: "Use two unit multipliers to change 1,600 square cm to square m." The thing is, would there be a difference in the ques

Algebra ->  Customizable Word Problem Solvers  -> Unit conversion -> SOLUTION: Hello, I am trying to help my daughter with this question: "Use two unit multipliers to change 1,600 square cm to square m." The thing is, would there be a difference in the ques      Log On

Ad: Over 600 Algebra Word Problems at edhelper.com


   



Question 45123: Hello, I am trying to help my daughter with this question:
"Use two unit multipliers to change 1,600 square cm to square m." The thing is, would there be a difference in the question if it didn't include the word "square"? Can you show me how to do this problem and explain it to my daughter in a simplistic fashion? (she asks a lot of "why?" questions) Thank you SO much for helping!!!! JS :)

Answer by abhijitvakil(7) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Please tell your daughter the following:
she would probably recall that 1 m = 100 cm. Now square to a number is given by multiplying the number by itself. Thus 1+square+metre+=+1+m+%2A+1+m. Since we have 1 m = 100 cm, therefore
1+sqm+=+100+cm+%2A+100+cm
Now cm multiplied by cm would again be a square. Hence
1 sqm = 10000 sqcm
or
10000 sqcm = 1 sqm
or
1 sqcm = 1/10000 sqm
Therefore 1600 sqcm would be :
1600%2A1+sqcm+=+1600%2A1%2F10000+sqm
or
1600 sqcm = 0.16 sqm
I hope this would help explain the solution to your daughter.