Total U.S. farmland occupies 954 million acres. How many square miles is this? (1 acre = 43,560 ft², 1 mi = 5280 ft). Total U.S. land area is 3.537 million square miles. What percentage of U.S. land is farmland?

Key Concepts

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another. In this question, we need to convert acres to square miles using the conversion factors provided: 1 acre equals 43,560 square feet, and 1 square mile equals 5,280 feet on each side. Understanding how to apply these conversions is essential for accurately calculating the area of farmland in square miles.

Area Calculation

Area calculation involves determining the size of a two-dimensional space. In this context, we calculate the total area of U.S. farmland in square miles after converting from acres. This requires multiplying the number of acres by the conversion factor to find the equivalent area in square miles, which is a fundamental skill in geometry and measurement.

Percentage Calculation

Percentage calculation is a mathematical operation used to express a number as a fraction of 100. To find the percentage of U.S. land that is farmland, we divide the area of farmland (in square miles) by the total U.S. land area (also in square miles) and then multiply by 100. This concept is crucial for understanding proportions and comparisons in data analysis.