Each mile of railway track required between 1,760 and 2,000 sleepers. If one average sized tree yields 3 to 5 sleepers for a 3 metre wide broad gauge track, calculate approximately how many trees would have to be cut to lay one mile of track.

Given: Each mile of railway track requires between 1,760 and 2,000 sleepers.

One average-sized tree yields 3 to 5 sleepers for a 3-meter-wide broad gauge track.

To find the number of trees needed, we’ll consider both the minimum and maximum values:

Minimum Estimate:

If each mile requires 1,760 sleepers, and each tree yields 3 sleepers:

Number of trees needed = $\dfrac{1760}{3}$

Number of trees needed = 586.67 (approximately 587 trees)

Maximum Estimate:

If each mile requires 2,000 sleepers, and each tree yields 5 sleepers:

Number of trees needed = $\dfrac{2000}{5}$

Number of trees needed = 400 trees

Therefore, approximately 400 to 587 trees would need to be cut to lay one mile of track.