Question

A sailboat is 19 meters long. What is its length in inches?
English-Metric Equivalents

1 meter	1.094 yards
2.54 centimetres	1 inch
1 kilogram	2.205 pounds
1 litre	1.06 quarts

a)254
b)1094
c)748
d)4826
e)21

Answer 1

Hint: Convert the given value of length from metres to centimetre. We have been given that \[1inch = 2.54centimeter\], from this get the value for 1 cm and substitute in the conversion formula of meter to centimetre. Hence you will get the conversion formula of meters to inches. Then convert 19m to inches.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Centimetres are a metric unit commonly used to measure small distances. In the metric system, centi always indicates, , so a centimetre is \[{\dfrac{1}{{100}}^{th}}\] of a meter.
Thus we can write the formula for conversion of cm to inches as,
\[1inch = 2.54centimeter\]
Thus, \[1in = 2.54cm\].
Now we have been given that the sailboat is of length 19 meters. Let us first covert the length given in metres to centimetres.
We said that a centimetre is \[{\dfrac{1}{{100}}^{th}}\] of a meter.
Thus we can say that \[1m = 100cm\].
 We have also been given that \[1inch = 2.54cm\]
Thus we can say that,
\[1cm = \dfrac{1}{{2.54}}inch\]
Now let us substitute this value of centimetre in the formula of meters.
i.e. \[1m = 100 \times 1cm\]
Thus we can say that,
\[1cm = \dfrac{1}{{2.54}}inch\]
\[1m = 100 \times \dfrac{1}{{2.54}}inch\], now let us simplify it.
\[\begin{gathered}
  1m = \dfrac{{100}}{{2.54}}inch = 39.37inch \ \\
  1m = 39.37inch \ \\
\end{gathered} \]
Thus we got the value for 1 metre. Now let us find the same for 19 meters.
\[\begin{gathered}
  1m = 39.37inch \ \\
  19m = 19 \times 1m = 19 \times 39.37inch \ \\
  19m = 748inch \ \\
\end{gathered} \]
Thus we converted the length of the sail boat which was in meters to inches.
Thus the length of the sail boat in inches is 748 inches.
Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Note:You can get a pretty accurate answer by multiplying metre by 100 , then multiplying by 0.3937.
\[\begin{gathered}
  1in = 0.39370cm \ \\
  1m = 100cm \ \\
  1m = 100 \times 0.39370 = 39.37 \ \\
\end{gathered} \]
Thus we got, \[1m = 39.37inch\].