Help Calculate Paint Coverage in sq ft for 1 Gallon

  • Thread starter Thread starter Raymond Hernandez
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AI Thread Summary
One gallon of paint can cover a surface area depending on the thickness of the application, which in this case is 0.1 inches. To calculate the coverage, it's essential to convert gallons to cubic inches and then apply the thickness to determine the area. The discussion emphasizes the importance of unit conversions, suggesting that users multiply by "1" in various forms to maintain the value while changing units. Participants are encouraged to show their calculations for better assistance. A coat of 0.1 inches is noted as quite thick for paint application.
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How large a surface are in units of square feet will 1 gallon of paint cover if we apply a coat of paint that is 0.1 inches thick?

I am honestly pretty confused, I did some conversions but overall I am confused and I can't even fill in the template. Anyone mind helping me out?

1. Homework Statement

1 gallon of paint
0.1 inches thick

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 
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Raymond Hernandez said:
How large a surface are in units of square feet will 1 gallon of paint cover if we apply a coat of paint that is 0.1 inches thick?

I am honestly pretty confused, I did some conversions but overall I am confused and I can't even fill in the template. Anyone mind helping me out?

1. Homework Statement

1 gallon of paint
0.1 inches thick

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

The trick in conversions like this one is to keep multiplying by "1" (which doesn't change the overall value), and set up your "1" fraction to help you cancel out units.

so to convert 3 miles to feet, you do this:

3 miles \frac{5280 feet}{1 mile} = 15,840 feet

So just look up how many cubic inches there are in a gallon, and set up your multiplications to do the conversions you need. Show us your work so we can check it... :smile:
 
0.1 inches is quite a thick coat of paint?
 
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