Joey walked east for 15 2/3 meters from home. Then, he walked west for 21 3/4 meters. How far was Joey from home? Write your answer as a mixed number only.

Answer 1

To find the total distance Joey was from home, we need to subtract the distance he walked west from the distance he walked east.

15 2/3 - 21 3/4

To subtract mixed numbers, we need to find a common denominator first.

The least common multiple of 3 and 4 is 12.

Now let's convert the fractions to have a denominator of 12.

15 2/3 = 45/3 + 2/3 = 47/3 (since there are 3 twelfths in each whole number, and 2 twelfths is equal to 2/12, which simplifies to 2/3)

21 3/4 = 84/4 + 3/4 = 87/4 (since there are 4 twelfths in each whole number, and 3 twelfths is equal to 3/12, which simplifies to 3/4)

Now we can subtract: 47/3 - 87/4

To find a common denominator, we can multiply the denominators together: 3 * 4 = 12

Now, let's convert the fractions to have a denominator of 12.

47/3 * 4/4 = 188/12

87/4 * 3/3 = 261/12

Now we can subtract: 188/12 - 261/12 = (188 - 261)/12 = -73/12

Therefore, Joey was 73/12 meters away from home.

However, the question asks for the answer as a mixed number. To convert this to a mixed number, we divide the numerator by the denominator.

73 ÷ 12 = 6 R 1

Therefore, the mixed number is 6 1/12.

Joey was 6 1/12 meters away from home. Answer: \boxed{6 \frac{1}{12}}.