Question

Mike caught 22 fish this week, or 3 2/3rds times as many as last week. How many fish did mike catch last week?

Answer 1

Answer:

Last week Mike caught 6 fish

Step-by-step explanation:

The unknown is he number of fish Mike caught last week, so let's use the letter "x" to represent that quantity.

Next, write 3 and 2/3 as an improper fraction: $3+\frac{2}{3} =\frac{9}{3} +\frac{2}{3} =\frac{11}{3}$

Now use it in the equation we create from translating the words into a mathematical expression: "22 fish this week, or 3 2/3rds times as many as last week." which translates into:

"22 fish is 3 2/3 (or 11/3) of "x" (last's week catch)"

and in math terms:

$22=\frac{11}{3} \,* x$

and to find the unknown "x" we isolate it on one side of the equal sign by multiplying both sides of the equation by $\frac{3}{11}$:

$22=\frac{11}{3} \,* x\\22\,*\,\frac{3}{11} = \,\frac{3}{11}\,*\,\frac{11}{3} \,* x\\6=x$

So last week Mike caught 6 fish.