Maths Problem - The Salesman is Wrong

[NotReallyTheVicar]

My adult DD1 is having her kitchen refitted. She has been told by the fitter that she needs 4 square meters of tiling. This is correct but the tile salesman says that 4 meters square is the same thing! It’s not! The latter is 16 square meters. I’m puzzled how someone doing this job can be ignorant of such a basic concept.

I am also ignorant to this basic concept… can you explain?

@MittensOnKittens03

I am also ignorant to this basic concept… can you explain?

Very simplified, she needs 4 tiles that are each 1m x 1m. So four square meters.

She does not need 4m x 4m, which would be four meters squared, as the salesman thinks.

I agree that he's wrong.
a square meter is a square with sides of 1m. So she's saying she needs 4 of those.
4 meters square is a square with sides of 4m so 16 square meters i.e. 4 times the amount she needs.

This link explains it with diagrams and even the same example: www.mrsphysics.co.uk/blog/difference-between-square-metres-and-metres-squared/