Question

Virginia beach is 15 kilometers wide and 50 kilometers long. if 2 cm of rain falls on virginia beach, how many cubic meters of rain fell on virginia beach?

Answer 1

Assume that the shape of Virginia beach is rectangular.

Note that
1 km = 10³ m
1 cm = 10⁻² m

The area is
A = (15 km)*(50 km)
   = (15 x 10³ m)*(50 x 10³ m)
   = 7.5 x 10⁸ m²

Because 2 cm of rain fell, the volume is
V = (7.5 x 10⁸ m)*(2 x 10⁻² m) = 1.5 x 10⁶ m³

Answer:  1.5 x 10⁶ m³