A vegetable and a surrounding path are shaped like a square that together are 11 ft wide. The path is 2 feet wide. If one bag of gravel covers 9 square feet, how many bags are needed to cover the path?

8 bags

Step-by-step explanation:

The area of the path is equal to the area of the overall square minus the area of the garden.

Area of a square is the side length squared:

A = s²

The overall square has a side length of 11 feet. The side length of the garden is 11 - 2 - 2 = 7 feet. So the area of the path is:

A = 11² - 7²

A = 121 - 49

A = 72

The area of the path is 72 ft². If one bag of gravel covers 9 ft², then the number of bags needed is:

72 ft² * (1 bag / 9 ft²) = 8 bags