1. **State the problem:** We have a square poster 36 inches long and 36 inches wide. We want to find its area in square feet, then determine how many tubes of glitter are needed to cover it, and finally calculate the total cost. 2. **Find the area of the poster in square feet:** - The poster is a square with side length 36 inches. - Area in square inches is $36 \times 36 = 1296$ square inches. - Convert square inches to square feet using the conversion $1 \text{ foot} = 12 \text{ inches}$. - Since area units convert by the square of the length conversion, $1 \text{ ft}^2 = 12^2 = 144 \text{ in}^2$. - Therefore, area in square feet is: $$\frac{1296}{144} = \frac{\cancel{1296}}{\cancel{144}} = 9$$ 3. **Determine the number of tubes needed:** - Each tube covers 2 square feet. - Total area is 9 square feet. - Number of tubes needed is $\frac{9}{2} = 4.5$ tubes. - Since we cannot buy partial tubes, we round up to 5 tubes. 4. **Calculate the total cost:** - Each tube costs 1.70. - Total cost is $5 \times 1.70 = 8.50$. **Final answers:** - (a) Area = 9 ft² - (b) Tubes needed = 5 - (c) Total cost = 8.50