Vincent has 72 inches of rope that he wants to use for a project, but he needs to cut it into smaller pieces first. He cuts it into 12 equal length pieces, but then he realizes it's too short, so he ties three pieces together. The knots then make each piece 1 inch shorter. How long are his pieces of rope after all this? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Each small piece is 6 inches because 72 / 12 = 6. Each piece is then 5 inches long after the knots are tied because 6 - 1 = 5. The three pieces tied together are now 15 inches long because 5 x 3 = 15.. The answer is: 15.

Harris feeds his dog 1 large organic carrot over the course of 1 day. There are 5 carrots in a 1 pound bag and each bag costs $2.00. In one year, how much will Harris spend on carrots? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. His dog gets 1 carrot a day and there are 365 days in a year, so his dog eats 1 * 365 = 365 carrots. There are 5 carrots per bag and he will need 365 carrots, so that's 365 / 5 = 73 bags of carrots. The bags cost $2.00 and he will need 73 bags so that's $2 * 73 = $146.00 worth of organic carrots.. The answer is: 146.

Jason is making a salad. The lettuce has 30 calories, the cucumber has 80 calories, and the 12 croutons have 20 calories each. How many calories are in the salad? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. In total, the 12 croutons have 20 calories / crouton * 12 croutons = 240 calories. Together, the croutons, lettuce and cucumber have 240 + 30 + 80 = 350 calories.. The answer is: 350.