Debra wants to cover a footrest in the shape of a rectangular prism with cotton fabric. The footrest is 15 inches by 7 inches by 9 inches. She has 1 square yard of fabric. Can she completely cover the footrest? Explain.

Yes, she can.

Step-by-step explanation:

We have to find the surface area of the footrest and see if it greater than or less than 1 square yard.

The surface area of a rectangular prism is given as:

A=2 (wl+hl+hw)

where w = width, l = length, h = height

The footrest is 15 inches by 7 inches by 9 inches. Its surface area is:

A = 2[ (7 * 15) + (9 * 15) + (9 * 7) ]

A = 2[105 + 135 + 63]

A = 2 * 303 = 606 square inches

1 square inch = 0.000771605 square yards

=> 606 square inches = 606 * 0.000771605 = 0.468 square yards

Since the surface area of the prism is less than 1 square yard, she can completely cover the footrest with the fabric.