The plan below represents the survey of a school farm.
Use it to answer Questions (a) and (b).
(a) Calculate the area of the land in hectares [4 marks] 70m
(b) If the school plans to cultivate plantain at a spacing of 4m x 4m on 80% of the land and pineapple at a spacing of 2m x 2.5m on 20% of the land, calculate the number of plantain and pineapple planting materials that would be required for the farm. [12 marks]
Explanation
Method 1: (a) Area of land = (BC + AD) AB = (70m +90m) (45) =(160m) (45) = 3600m²
Method 2: Area (A1) = AB x BC = (45m) (70m) = 3,150m² (A2) = DE x AB = (20m) (45m) = (900m²) = 450m²
Therefore Area = A1 + A2 = (3,150) + 450) m² = 3600m²
Conversion of the area into hectares: 1 hectare 10,000m²
Therefore Area of land in hectare = 3,600m²
10,000m² = 0.36 hectare8
(b) Area for cultivating plantain: = 3,600m²/1 x 80/100 = 2,880
Spacing of plantain = 4m x 4m. Area occupied by plantain = 4m x 4m = 16m², plantain population = Area of farmland
Area of stands = 2880m², 16m² = 180 stands of plantain
Either
Area for pineapple = Area of farmland – Area occupied by plantain = 3600m² – 2880m² = 720m²
Or
Area of Pineapple = Area of Farmland x 20% = 3600m²/1 x 20/100 = 720m²
Spacing of pineapple = 2m x 2.5m
Area occupied by pineapple = 2m x 2.5m = 5m²
Pineapple population = 720m²/5m² = 144 stands of pineapple