To find the total distance Joel biked, we first need to determine the distance he traveled initially and then the distance he biked back to his starting point.
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Distance Biked East and North:
- Joel biked 9 blocks East and 12 blocks North.
- Therefore, the total distance for this part of his trip is: \[ 9 \text{ blocks (East)} + 12 \text{ blocks (North)} = 21 \text{ blocks} \]
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Distance Biking Back to the Starting Point:
- To return to the starting point, Joel needs to bike the same distance he traveled but in the opposite direction.
- Since he originally biked 9 blocks East, he must bike 9 blocks West to return in that direction.
- Similarly, since he biked 12 blocks North, he must bike 12 blocks South to return in that direction.
- The distance he travels back is also: \[ 9 \text{ blocks (West)} + 12 \text{ blocks (South)} = 21 \text{ blocks} \]
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Total Distance Traveled:
- Now, we add the total distance traveled in both directions: \[ 21 \text{ blocks (outgoing)} + 21 \text{ blocks (returning)} = 42 \text{ blocks} \]
Thus, the total distance Joel rode altogether is \(\boxed{42}\) blocks.