What is a square yard?
A square yard is a measure of area that represents an area that
is one yard by one yard in size. If you have a roll of paper 1 yard
wide and you pull some off the roll and cut it off at a length of 1
yard, your piece of paper is 1 yard by 1 yard in size. It has 1
square yard of area. Note that, because the yard is three feet in
length, the square yard is a square that is 3 feet by 3 feet, or 9
square feet. A square yard is 9 square feet. The reason we went
here is because if the square yard doesn't have to be a perfect
square. It can be a rectangle that is 2 feet by 4 1/2 feet in size.
As long as the product of the length and the width is 1 square yard
(or 9 square feet), you'll have that square yard. Extending the
idea, any flat shape can have a square yard of area. As long as the
equivalent "shaded area" of the shape equals the shaded area of a
square that is 1 yard by 1 yard, both have an area of 1 square
yard.