A department plans to file 1,000 records, with each record 1 inch thick, using six-shelf open filing units where each shelf is 33 inches long. How many filing units should be purchased?

A department plans to file 1,000 records, with each record 1 inch thick, using six-shelf open filing units where each shelf is 33 inches long. How many filing units should be purchased?

• A. 6
• B. 5
• C. 7
• D. 8

Answer: (A)

When planning filing space, you compare the total thickness of the records to the capacity of each storage unit. A single shelf is 33 inches long, and each record is 1 inch thick, so you can fit 33 records on one shelf. A unit has six shelves, so it can hold 6 × 33 = 198 records. To store 1,000 records, you need 1,000 ÷ 198 ≈ 5.05 units, which means you must round up to 6 units. Five units would hold 5 × 198 = 990 records, which is not enough. Therefore, six filing units should be purchased.

When planning filing space, you compare the total thickness of the records to the capacity of each storage unit. A single shelf is 33 inches long, and each record is 1 inch thick, so you can fit 33 records on one shelf. A unit has six shelves, so it can hold 6 × 33 = 198 records. To store 1,000 records, you need 1,000 ÷ 198 ≈ 5.05 units, which means you must round up to 6 units. Five units would hold 5 × 198 = 990 records, which is not enough. Therefore, six filing units should be purchased.