Paul can walk 2 1/2 miles in one hour. How far can he walk in 1 3/4 hours?

Question

can you show the process of how to answer this question?

Answer 1

Ayan,

First, take a minute (that's a TIME unit) to consider the differences between DISTANCE, RATE, and TIME, both as properties in the world, and as units by which we measure them.

If you don't want to do that, you may learn how to (occasionally) solve simple problems, but not harder ones! And you want to be able to work up to solving the harder ones, the ones that pay you big bucks in the job world!

SO --

DISTANCE is how far between two places, measured in (among other things) miles;

TIME -- how long something takes or has taken since a specified starting time;

RATE -- how much of something you did in a specified amount of time (here, traveled a distance)

OK, what can you do with what you were given? The first item, 2+1/2 miles in one hour, sounds like (and is) a RATE. Write it as 2+1/2 miles/hr or 2+1/2 mile hr^-1.

The second item is only a TIME (1+3/4 hr).

IF you perform an action (walking) at a RATE for a given amount of TIME, you travel a DISTANCE.

As an equation, RATE * TIME = DISTANCE. As units: mile hr^-1 * hr = mile(s).

So do you think you can do the math on (2+1/2)*(1+3/4) ? Hint: convert to improper fractions, then multiply, then convert back to a proper "mixed" number..

-- Cheers, Mr. d.

Answer 2

2 1/2 = 5/2

1 3/4 = 7/4

(5/2)/1 = x/(7/4) set up a proportion: 5/2 miles in 1 hour = x miles in 7/4 hours

x = (5/2)*(7/4)

x= 35/8