Customary unit conversion, step by step
Twelve inches in a foot, sixteen ounces in a pound, four quarts in a gallon.
The question
939 ft = ________ yd
39 ft = ? yd
ft → ydbigger unit, smaller number
1 yd =3 ft
39 ÷ 3 =13
13 yd
- One yd is bigger than one ft, and it takes FEWER of a big thing to make the same amount. So the number has to get smaller — which means dividing.
- There are 3 ft in one yd, so that is the number to divide by.
- 39 ÷ 3 = 13, so 39 ft is 13 yd. Check the direction held: the number got smaller, which is what a bigger unit does.
How it works.
- 01
One yd is bigger than one ft, and it takes FEWER of a big thing to make the same amount. So the number has to get smaller — which means dividing.
- 02
There are 3 ft in one yd, so that is the number to divide by.
- 03
39 ÷ 3 = 13, so 39 ft is 13 yd. Check the direction held: the number got smaller, which is what a bigger unit does.