Jim ran 9.7 miles less than Perry. Jim ran 13.8 miles. How many miles did Perry run?

Answer 1

Since Jim ran 9.7 miles less than Perry, and Jim ran 13.8 miles, we need to figure out which operation works best in this situation. So, if we wanted to make this an algebraic expression, Perry's distance ran would be represented with a variable (X). So, since we know that Jim ran 9.7 miles LESS than Perry, Jim's distance ran would be represented by Perry's MINUS 9.7, or X-9.7. The equation would then be X-9.7=13.8. In order to find X, we need it to be by itself. To do this, we need to use our inverse (opposite) operations. The inverse of subtraction is addition, so we need to add 9.7 to both sides of our equation. So, after adding 9.7 to -9.7, we are left with X by itself, and when we add 9.7 to 13.8, we are left with X=23.5, or Perry's distance = 23.5 miles.

If we want to solve this in a simpler way, we would just need to add 9.7 to 13.8 since Perry's distance was 9.7 more than Jim's.

Answer 2

If JIm ran 9.7 miles less than Perry, then surely Perry must have run 9.7 miles farther than Jim. But we know that Jim ran 13.8 miles, so ...