The equilateral triangular-shaped opening of the tent, or base, has side lengths of 3 yards, and the tent will be 6 yards long. How many square yards of material does John need for the lateral portion of the tent? A. 15 square yards B. 63 square yards C. 54 square yards D. 36 square yards

The tent has a base with equal sizes of 3 yards. The lateral area, which is the sum of all faces of each triangle has a lateral side of 6 yards. Thus, each lateral side must be 6 yards. Then, we find its area through the Heron's formula using the semiperimeter (s).

s = (6+6+60/2 = 9

A = √[9 (9-6) (9-6) (9-6) ]

A = 15.6 square yards

The answer is A.