Definition
Acre: An acre is a unit of area commonly used in the United States for measuring tracts of land in real estate and agriculture. It equates to 160 square rods, 10 square chains, 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet. There are 640 acres in one square mile. This unit of measurement is crucial for determining the size of a piece of land, which can vary in shape but cover the determined area.
Examples
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Residential Real Estate:
- A standard suburban house might be on a quarter-acre (10,890 square feet) lot.
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Agricultural Land:
- A farmer might own 100 acres of farmland for crops and livestock.
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Commercial Property:
- A commercial real estate developer might purchase 50 acres of land to build a shopping center.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: How big is an acre in terms of a football field?
- An acre is slightly smaller than an American football field without the end zones. A football field is about 1.32 acres.
Q2: Can the shape of an acre vary?
- Yes, an acre can be of any shape as long as it covers 43,560 square feet.
Q3: How many square feet are in a half-acre?
- A half-acre is 21,780 square feet.
Q4: Does land measurement in acres apply only in the United States?
- No, while the acre is used primarily in the US and some areas of Canada, it is also recognized and occasionally used in countries that follow the imperial system.
Q5: How do you convert acres to square miles?
- You convert acres to square miles by dividing the number of acres by 640 since there are 640 acres in a square mile.
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Square Foot (sq ft): A unit of area equal to the area of a square with sides of one foot each.
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Hectare (ha): A metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square meters or approximately 2.471 acres.
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Section: In the US, especially in land surveying, a section is a unit of an area defined as 1 square mile, which is equal to 640 acres.
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Quarter Section: Equals 160 acres, which is a quarter of a section or 1/4 of a square mile.
Online Resources
References
- United States Geological Survey (USGS) guidelines on land measurement.
- “Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000” by Jason G. Gauthier.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “Real Estate Principles” by David C. Ling and Wayne R. Archer
- “The Complete Guide to Real Estate Finance for Investment Properties: How to Analyze Any Single Family, Multifamily, or Commercial Property” by Steve Berges
- “Understanding and Negotiating Commercial Real Estate Leases” by Mark W. Moskovitz
Real Estate Basics: ACRE Fundamentals Quiz
### An acre is equivalent to how many square feet?
- [ ] 4,840 square feet
- [ ] 21,780 square feet
- [x] 43,560 square feet
- [ ] 64,000 square feet
> **Explanation:** An acre measures 43,560 square feet, regardless of its shape.
### How many acres are there in a square mile?
- [x] 640 acres
- [ ] 100 acres
- [ ] 320 acres
- [ ] 2,560 acres
> **Explanation:** There are 640 acres in one square mile, making each acre 1/640th of a square mile.
### What is one quarter of an acre in square feet?
- [x] 10,890 square feet
- [ ] 21,780 square feet
- [ ] 5,445 square feet
- [ ] 15,000 square feet
> **Explanation:** One-quarter of an acre is 10,890 square feet because an acre holds 43,560 square feet.
### Which country's real estate transactions extensively use "acre" as the standard unit of land measurement?
- [x] United States
- [ ] France
- [ ] Japan
- [ ] Australia
> **Explanation:** Acres are commonly used in the United States for real estate and agricultural transactions, unlike many other countries that use the metric system.
### How would you convert half an acre to square feet?
- [ ] Multiply by 640
- [x] Divide 43,560 by 2
- [ ] Multiply by 1.5
- [ ] Divide by 4
> **Explanation:** To find the square footage of half an acre, you divide 43,560 by 2, resulting in 21,780 square feet.
### Can the shape of an acre vary?
- [x] Yes, as long as it covers 43,560 square feet.
- [ ] No, it must be a perfect square.
- [ ] Yes, but should not differ significantly from a rectangle.
- [ ] No, it has to be circular.
> **Explanation:** The shape of an acre can vary including squares, rectangles, or irregular shapes, as long as it totals 43,560 square feet.
### A farmer owns 48 acres. How many square miles does this represent?
- [ ] 0.11 square miles
- [x] 0.075 square miles
- [ ] 0.09 square miles
- [ ] 0.12 square miles
> **Explanation:** You divide the number of acres by 640 to convert to square miles. Therefore, 48 acres divided by 640 equals 0.075 square miles.
### How many hectares make an acre?
- [x] 0.4047 hectares
- [ ] 2.471 hectares
- [ ] 0.5 hectares
- [ ] 1 hectare
> **Explanation:** One acre is equivalent to approximately 0.4047 hectares.
### In real estate terminologies, "acreage" refers to:
- [x] The size or extent of a parcel of land in acres
- [ ] A land configuration
- [ ] Grain yield per acre
- [ ] The sales value of a land plot
> **Explanation:** Acreage refers to the size or extent of land measured in acres, not to land configuration, crop yield, or sales value.
### What is the primary metric equivalent to an acre?
- [x] 0.4047 hectares
- [ ] 1 hectare
- [ ] 2.471 hectares
- [ ] 3.5 hectares
> **Explanation:** An acre is approximately 0.4047 hectares in the metric system, making the conversion practical for metric-based measurements in global uses.
