You are sealing a pool deck with dimensions of 200 feet long and 60 feet wide. The actual pool dimensions are 150 feet by 30 feet. If the sealer covers 60 square feet per gallon at a cost of $18 per gallon, what will be the total cost of the sealer?

To determine the total cost of the sealer needed for the pool deck, you first calculate the area of the deck to be sealed. The pool deck dimensions are 200 feet long by 60 feet wide, which gives an area of:

Area of the deck = Length × Width = 200 feet × 60 feet = 12,000 square feet.

Next, it's important to find the area of the pool itself to exclude it from the sealing area. The pool dimensions are 150 feet long and 30 feet wide, resulting in an area of:

Area of the pool = Length × Width = 150 feet × 30 feet = 4,500 square feet.

Now, subtract the area of the pool from the total area of the deck to find the area that needs sealing:

Area to be sealed = Area of the deck - Area of the pool = 12,000 square feet - 4,500 square feet = 7,500 square feet.

The next step is to determine how many gallons of sealer are needed. Since the sealer covers 60 square feet per gallon, you can calculate the number of gallons required:

Gallons needed = Total area to be sealed / Coverage per gallon = 7,500 square