1. **State the problem:** Ed has a garden box with dimensions 5 yards long, 2 yards wide, and 8 inches deep. We need to find how many bags of potting soil he must buy if each bag contains 1 cubic foot of soil. 2. **Convert all dimensions to the same unit:** - Length = 5 yards - Width = 2 yards - Depth = 8 inches Since 1 yard = 3 feet and 1 foot = 12 inches, convert yards to feet and inches to feet: - Length in feet = $5 \times 3 = 15$ ft - Width in feet = $2 \times 3 = 6$ ft - Depth in feet = $\frac{8}{12} = \frac{2}{3}$ ft 3. **Calculate the volume of the garden box in cubic feet:** $$\text{Volume} = \text{Length} \times \text{Width} \times \text{Depth} = 15 \times 6 \times \frac{2}{3}$$ 4. **Simplify the volume:** $$15 \times 6 = 90$$ $$90 \times \frac{2}{3} = 90 \times 0.6667 = 60$$ So, the volume is 60 cubic feet. 5. **Determine the number of bags needed:** Each bag contains 1 cubic foot, so Ed needs 60 bags. **Final answer:** Ed needs to purchase **60** bags of potting soil.