The distance from Kevin’s Home to his school is 2 kilometers. Adrian lives 750 meters from the same school. How much closer does Adrian live to the school than Kevin?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
Adrian lives 1.25 kilometers closer to the school than Kevin.
Explanation (300+ words):
To solve this problem, we need to compare the distances from two homes—Kevin’s and Adrian’s—to the same school. However, the units used in the question are different: Kevin’s distance is given in kilometers, while Adrian’s distance is given in meters. To accurately compare the two, we must convert them to the same unit.
Step 1: Convert Kevin’s distance
Kevin lives 2 kilometers from the school.
Since 1 kilometer = 1,000 meters, we convert Kevin’s distance into meters: 2 kilometers=2×1000=2000 meters2 \text{ kilometers} = 2 \times 1000 = 2000 \text{ meters}
Step 2: Compare with Adrian’s distance
Adrian lives 750 meters from the school.
Now we subtract Adrian’s distance from Kevin’s: 2000 meters−750 meters=1250 meters2000 \text{ meters} – 750 \text{ meters} = 1250 \text{ meters}
So, Adrian lives 1,250 meters closer to the school than Kevin.
Step 3: Convert back to kilometers (optional but helpful)
Sometimes it’s more meaningful to express the answer in kilometers, especially if the original distance (Kevin’s) was given in kilometers. 1250 meters=12501000=1.25 kilometers1250 \text{ meters} = \frac{1250}{1000} = 1.25 \text{ kilometers}
Final Answer:
Adrian lives 1.25 kilometers closer to the school than Kevin.
Summary:
This problem reinforces the importance of unit conversion in math. When comparing two quantities, it’s crucial to express them using the same units. In this case, converting kilometers to meters (or vice versa) helped us determine the difference in distances. Unit conversion is a core skill in math and science, especially in real-life scenarios like travel distances, recipes, or medication doses.