How many 5 centimeter squares are needed to completely cover a 1 meter square?

To cover a 1 square meter area, you first convert the area to square centimeters. Since 1 meter equals 100 centimeters, 1 square meter is 10,000 square centimeters. Each 5 centimeter square has an area of 25 square centimeters. Therefore, to find the number of 5 centimeter squares needed, divide 10,000 by 25, which equals 400. Thus, 400 squares are needed to completely cover a 1 meter square.