NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying Practice Exam

What measurement is equivalent to one mile square in area?

1. 320 acres

2. 640 acres

3. 1280 acres

4. 160 acres

The correct answer is: 640 acres

A mile square refers to an area that is one mile long and one mile wide. To understand this measurement in acres, it’s important to know how many acres are in a square mile. There are 640 acres in a square mile, which is derived from the conversion of miles to feet and then to acres. Specifically, one mile is equivalent to 5,280 feet. When you square this measurement, you obtain: 1 mile × 1 mile = (5,280 feet) × (5,280 feet) = 27,878,400 square feet. Since one acre is defined as 43,560 square feet, to convert square feet back to acres, you divide the total square footage by the number of square feet in an acre: 27,878,400 square feet ÷ 43,560 square feet per acre = 640 acres. Thus, one mile square is equal to 640 acres, making this option the correct choice. This knowledge is vital for surveyors, land planners, and real estate professionals who work with large land areas and need to be accurate in their calculations and conversions.