Problem 613 - Prealgebra

Question

Clayton walked 12 blocks to his mother’s house, 6 blocks to the gym, and 9 blocks to the grocery store before walking the last 3 blocks home. What was the total number of blocks that Clayton walked?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

30 blocks

Step 1: Identify the Distances

First, list out all the blocks Clayton walked in each part of his journey: 12 blocks to his mother’s house, 6 blocks to the gym, 9 blocks to the grocery store, and 3 blocks home.

Step 2: Add the Distances Together

Next, add all the blocks together to find the total distance Clayton walked: 12 + 6 + 9 + 3.

Step 3: Calculate the Total

Perform the addition of the distances: 12 + 6 + 9 + 3 = 30.

Key Concepts

Distance Calculation

Understanding how to calculate distances is very important in solving basic addition word problems like the one from the exercise. In this exercise, Clayton's journey is broken down into smaller segments. Each segment has a specific distance.
In any problem involving distance calculation, always start by identifying the different parts of the journey.

• In this case, Clayton walked:
  • 12 blocks to his mother’s house,
  • 6 blocks to the gym,
  • 9 blocks to the grocery store,
  • and 3 blocks home.
• Listing out each part of the journey will help you keep track of every distance you need to add later.

After identifying the distances, the next step is to add them up.

Step-by-Step Problem Solving

Step-by-step problem solving makes math easier to understand. By breaking the problem into smaller, more manageable steps, you can see how each part of the problem contributes to the solution.
Let's apply this to our exercise:

• Step 1: Identify the Distances - Write down each block Clayton walked: 12 blocks, 6 blocks, 9 blocks, and 3 blocks.
• Step 2: Add the Distances Together - Line up all the distances: 12 + 6 + 9 + 3.
• Step 3: Calculate the Total - Perform the addition to find the total number of blocks: 12 + 6 + 9 + 3 = 30.

Each step builds on the previous one, leading to the final solution. This method is helpful for other types of word problems too.

Total Distance

Finding the total distance is the goal of the exercise. Once you’ve identified and added all the segments of a journey together, the sum will give you the total distance.
In the given problem, you added the distances as follows: 12 blocks + 6 blocks + 9 blocks + 3 blocks.
To ensure accuracy, you can double-check your calculations. One way to do this is by using the cumulative addition method:

• Start with the first two numbers: 12 + 6 = 18
• Add the next distance: 18 + 9 = 27
• Finally, add the last segment: 27 + 3 = 30

This will confirm that Clayton walked a total of 30 blocks. Applying this method will help you confidently find total distances in different scenarios.