How many acres are contained in the N½ of the SW¼ of the SE¼ of a section?

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To find the area of the N½ of the SW¼ of the SE¼ of a section, I need to work through the fractions step by step.

Starting point: A section = 640 acres (this is a standard unit in the U.S. Public Land Survey System)

Step-by-step calculation:

  1. SE¼ of a section = 640 ÷ 4 = 160 acres
  2. SW¼ of the SE¼ = 160 ÷ 4 = 40 acres
  3. N½ of the SW¼ of the SE¼ = 40 ÷ 2 = 20 acres

Alternative way to think about it:

  • N½ = 1/2
  • SW¼ = 1/4
  • SE¼ = 1/4

So we have: 640 × (1/2) × (1/4) × (1/4) = 640 × (1/32) = 20 acres

Why this works: In the Public Land Survey System, you read these descriptions from right to left, applying each fraction to the previous result. Each division creates a smaller and smaller portion of the original 640-acre section. The final result of 20 acres represents 1/32 of the original section.