Three cats sat on a fence, meowing at the moon. The first cat meowed 3 times per minute. The second cat meowed twice as frequently as the first cat. And the third cat meowed at one-third the frequency of the second cat. What is the combined total number of meows the three cats make in 5 minutes?
Thoughts? Step-by-step reasoning:
The second cat meowed twice as frequently as the three meows per minute from the first cat, for a total of 2 * 3 = 6 meows per minute. The third cat meowed at one - third the frequency of the second cat, for a total of 6 / 3 = 2 meows per minute. Thus, combined, the three cats meow 3 + 6 + 2 = 11 times per minute. In five minutes, the three cats meow 5 * 11 = 55 times.
Thus, the answer is 55.