Gary makes custom metal signs. He has a sheet of metal that is 6 feet by 12 feet and wants to cut it into signs that are 2 feet by 4 feet. How many signs can he make?

To solve this, solve the area of the sheet of metal and also the area the sign. Then, divide the whole sheet metal by the area of the sign. Assuming from the given dimensions, the shape must be a rectangle. The area of a rectangle is length x width.

Area of Sheet metal = 6 x 12 = 72 ft2

Area of sign = 2 x 4 = 8 ft2

Number of signs = 72 ft2 : 8 ft2

Number of signs = 9

He can make a total of 9 signs.