Ella and three friends run in a relay race that is 14 miles long. Each person runs equal parts of the race. How many miles does each person run?

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Answer 1 · 2018-07-13T02:07:24

3.5 miles

We might be able to do this in our head without algebra but for a more complicated problem algebra can be very useful.
The basic steps are the same.

Start with what we are told:

Number of people running = 4 (Ella + 3 friends)
Total distance run = 14
Each person runs the same distance

Use a letter to represent the distance we want to know:

e.g. Distance run by each person = $x$ miles
Write an equation (sometimes more than 1 eqn is needed) that shows what we are told.

$x * 4= 14$

Divide both sides by 4 to get only $x$ on LHS

$(x * cancel4)/cancel4 =14/4$

$x =14/4$

$x = 3.5$