Question

Nolan made note of all the bicycles and cars he could see parked or locked on a certain city block. All the cars had exactly four wheels, and all the bicycles had exactly two wheels. How many vehicles were on the block if there were 9 bicycles and 6 cars? How many vehicles were on the block if there were æ bicycles and y cars?

Total vehicles, 9 bicycles and 6 cars: ____
Total vehicles, x bicycles and y cars: ____

Answer 1

The total number of vehicles on the block for 9 bicycles and 6 cars is 15. For a general number of x bicycles and y cars, the total number of vehicles is the sum x + y.

Step-by-step explanation:

When calculating the total number of vehicles on the block, we count each bicycle and car as one vehicle each, regardless of the number of wheels. For the specific case of 9 bicycles and 6 cars, you simply add the number of bicycles to the number of cars to get the total number of vehicles. 9 bicycles + 6 cars = 15 vehicles in total.

For the general case with x bicycles and y cars, the total number of vehicles V can be expressed as V = x + y. If you have x bicycles and y cars parked on the block, the total number of vehicles on the block would be the sum of the bicycles and cars, which is x + y vehicles.

Thus, the answers are:

• Total vehicles, 9 bicycles and 6 cars: 15
• Total vehicles, x bicycles and y cars: x + y