Calculate Total Legs: Finding the Product of 12 Animals and Average of 3

Average Multiplication with Total Sum Formula

In the zoo there are 12 animals.

If the average number of legs that each animal has is 3, then how many legs in total do all the animals in the zoo have?

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Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution
1

Understand the problem

In the zoo there are 12 animals.

If the average number of legs that each animal has is 3, then how many legs in total do all the animals in the zoo have?

2

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the given information: There are 12 animals, and the average number of legs is 3.
  • Step 2: Use the formula for the total sum based on the average: Total Sum=Average×Number of Terms\text{Total Sum} = \text{Average} \times \text{Number of Terms}.
  • Step 3: Perform the calculation using the given numbers.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: We know there are 12 animals and the average number of legs per animal is 3.
Step 2: We'll use the formula Total Sum=Average×Number of Terms\text{Total Sum} = \text{Average} \times \text{Number of Terms}. In this context: Total Sum of legs=3×12\text{Total Sum of legs} = 3 \times 12.
Step 3: Calculating gives us 3×12=363 \times 12 = 36.

Therefore, the total number of legs that all the animals in the zoo have is 36 36 .

3

Final Answer

36 36

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Formula: Total Sum equals Average times Number of Terms
  • Technique: Calculate 3×12=36 3 \times 12 = 36 total legs
  • Check: Divide total by count: 36÷12=3 36 \div 12 = 3 legs per animal ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Adding average to number of items instead of multiplying
    Don't add 3 + 12 = 15 legs! This ignores that each of the 12 animals has 3 legs on average. Always multiply: Average × Count = Total Sum.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Calculate the average of \( 10 \) and \( 12 \).

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why do I multiply the average by 12 instead of adding?

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The average tells us each animal has 3 legs, so with 12 animals, we need 12 groups of 3 legs each. That's multiplication: 3×12=36 3 \times 12 = 36 total legs!

What if some animals have different numbers of legs?

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That's exactly why we use an average! Some might have 2 legs, others 4 legs, but the average is 3. The total is still 3×12=36 3 \times 12 = 36 legs.

How can I check if my answer makes sense?

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Divide your total by the number of animals: 36÷12=3 36 \div 12 = 3 . If you get back the original average, you're correct!

What's the difference between total and average?

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Average is legs per animal (3), total is all legs combined (36). Use the formula: Total = Average × Count to go from one to the other.

Can this formula work with other word problems?

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Yes! Anytime you know an average and count, multiply them for the total. Works for test scores, distances, weights, or any measurement!

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