A trench measuring 2 feet by 300 feet by 4 feet requires removing soil. Approximately how many cubic yards of soil should be removed?

A trench measuring 2 feet by 300 feet by 4 feet requires removing soil. Approximately how many cubic yards of soil should be removed?

• A. 89 cubic yards
• B. 90 cubic yards
• C. 80 cubic yards
• D. 100 cubic yards

Answer: (A)

Volume is found by multiplying the dimensions of a rectangular trench: length times width times depth. So the trench holds 2 ft × 300 ft × 4 ft = 2400 cubic feet of soil. Since there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, convert: 2400 ÷ 27 ≈ 88.89 cubic yards. Rounding to the nearest whole cubic yard gives about 89 cubic yards, which is why that approximation is chosen. The other numbers are farther from the calculated value (80 would be too low, 90 is close but slightly high, and 100 is much higher).

Volume is found by multiplying the dimensions of a rectangular trench: length times width times depth. So the trench holds 2 ft × 300 ft × 4 ft = 2400 cubic feet of soil. Since there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, convert: 2400 ÷ 27 ≈ 88.89 cubic yards. Rounding to the nearest whole cubic yard gives about 89 cubic yards, which is why that approximation is chosen. The other numbers are farther from the calculated value (80 would be too low, 90 is close but slightly high, and 100 is much higher).