Quandaries and Queries
 

 

How do you measure a cubic foot?  How many cubic feet in a yard?
 

 

Hi Carol,

A cubic foot is the volume in a box that is 1 foot long, 1 foot wide and 1 foot high.

When you ask how many cubic feet there are in a yard I think you mean "How many cubic feet in a cubic yard?" Building contractors quite often use the term "yard" when they mean "cubic yards." When someone talks about yards of concrete or yards of topsoil they really mean cubic yards.

A cubic yard is the volume of a box that is 1 yard long, 1 yard wide and 1 yard high. So how many "cubic foot" boxes could you fit inside a "cubic yard box"? One yard is three feet so you can fit 3  3 = 9 "cubic foot" boxes on the bottom of a "cubic yard" box.

To fill the box you need 3 such layers so there are

3 3 3 = 27

Cubic feet in a cubic yard.

Penny

 
 

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