What is a square yard?

Answer 1

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.