Final answer:
To calculate the total number of wheels on the block, multiply the number of bicycles by 2 and the number of cars by 4, then add the results. For 6 bicycles and 11 cars, there are 56 wheels in total. For a general case of x bicycles and y cars, the formula is 2x + 4y.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how many wheels were on the block when there were 6 bicycles and 11 cars, you need to calculate the total number of wheels. Each bicycle has 2 wheels and each car has 4 wheels. So, you multiply the number of bicycles by 2 and the number of cars by 4 and then add these two products together.
Bicycles: 6 bicycles × 2 wheels per bicycle = 12 wheels
Cars: 11 cars × 4 wheels per car = 44 wheels
Total wheels on the block = 12 wheels (from bicycles) + 44 wheels (from cars) = 56 wheels.
Now, to find out how many wheels there are for a general case with x bicycles and y cars, the equation would be:
Total wheels = (x × 2 wheels per bicycle) + (y × 4 wheels per car)
This equation will give you the total number of wheels on the block for any number of bicycles and cars.