Distance Conversion Problem: Calculate 300m + 5km Total Journey

Unit Conversion with Distance Addition

Every day, Miguel travels 300 meters to get to his grandfather's house.

After that, he travels another 5 km to his workplace.

How many km does he travel from his house to work each day?

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Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution
1

Understand the problem

Every day, Miguel travels 300 meters to get to his grandfather's house.

After that, he travels another 5 km to his workplace.

How many km does he travel from his house to work each day?

2

Step-by-step solution

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

  • Step 1: Convert the distance traveled to the grandfather's house from meters to kilometers.
  • Step 2: Add the converted distance to the distance traveled from the grandfather's house to the workplace.
  • Step 3: Present the total distance in kilometers.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: Miguel travels 300 meters to his grandfather's house. Since 1 kilometer equals 1000 meters, we convert 300 meters to kilometers as follows:

300 meters=3001000 kilometers=0.3 kilometers 300 \text{ meters} = \frac{300}{1000} \text{ kilometers} = 0.3 \text{ kilometers}

Step 2: Miguel then travels 5 kilometers from his grandfather's house to his workplace. To find the total distance traveled, we add these two distances:

0.3 kilometers+5 kilometers=5.3 kilometers 0.3 \text{ kilometers} + 5 \text{ kilometers} = 5.3 \text{ kilometers}

Step 3: Therefore, the total distance Miguel travels from his house to his workplace each day is 5.3 kilometers 5.3 \text{ kilometers} .

3

Final Answer

5.3

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Conversion Rule: Always convert to same units before adding distances
  • Technique: Convert 300 meters to kilometers: 3001000=0.3 \frac{300}{1000} = 0.3 km
  • Check: Final answer should make sense: 0.3 + 5 = 5.3 km ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Adding different units directly
    Don't add 300 meters + 5 km = 305! This mixes units and gives meaningless results. The numbers seem to add, but you're comparing apples to oranges. Always convert to the same unit first, then add.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Convert to meters:
\( 40 \) cm

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why can't I just add 300 + 5 to get 305?

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Because you're adding different units! It's like adding 300 pennies + 5 dollars. You need to convert to the same unit first: 300 meters = 0.3 km, then 0.3 + 5 = 5.3 km.

How do I remember the meters to kilometers conversion?

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Remember: 1 km = 1000 m. So to convert meters to kilometers, divide by 1000. For 300 meters: 3001000=0.3 \frac{300}{1000} = 0.3 km.

Should I convert kilometers to meters instead?

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You could! 5 km = 5000 m, so 300 m + 5000 m = 5300 m. But since the question asks for the answer in kilometers, converting to km first is more direct.

What if I get a decimal answer like 5.3?

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Decimal answers are perfectly normal in unit conversion! 5.3 km means 5 kilometers and 3 tenths of a kilometer (which is 300 meters).

How can I check if 5.3 km makes sense?

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Think about it: Miguel travels a short distance (300m) to grandpa's, then a much longer distance (5 km) to work. The total should be slightly more than 5 km, so 5.3 km makes perfect sense!

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