Question

Mark is training for a mini triathlon. He rode his bike a mile, ran ⅖ mile, and swam ¼ mile each day. How does the distance he biked in 3 days compare to the distance he swam in 3 days? In 5 days? In 6 days? Why?

please help.
4th grade math.

Answer 1

Answer: To determine how the distances compare, we need to first find the total distance Mark covered in each activity for the given number of days.

For 3 days:

Biking: 1 mile/day x 3 days = 3 miles

Running: ⅖ mile/day x 3 days = 3/5 mile

Swimming: ¼ mile/day x 3 days = 3/4 mile

For 5 days:

Biking: 1 mile/day x 5 days = 5 miles

Running: ⅖ mile/day x 5 days = 1 mile

Swimming: ¼ mile/day x 5 days = 5/4 mile

For 6 days:

Biking: 1 mile/day x 6 days = 6 miles

Running: ⅖ mile/day x 6 days = 6/5 mile

Swimming: ¼ mile/day x 6 days = 3/2 mile

Now, we can compare the distances:

For 3 days: Mark biked 3 miles and swam 3/4 mile. Since 3 miles is greater than 3/4 mile, Mark biked more than he swam in 3 days.

For 5 days: Mark biked 5 miles and swam 5/4 mile. Since 5 miles is greater than 5/4 mile, Mark biked more than he swam in 5 days.

For 6 days: Mark biked 6 miles and swam 3/2 mile. Since 6 miles is greater than 3/2 mile, Mark biked more than he swam in 6 days.

Therefore, in all cases, Mark biked more than he swam. This is because biking covers a greater distance per unit time than swimming, so even though he swam the same distance each day as he biked, he covered less total distance overall.

Explanation: