Question. Each bird eats 12 beetles per day, each snake eats 3 birds per day, and each jaguar eats 5 snakes per day. If there are 6 jaguars in a forest, how many beetles are eaten each day?
Answer. 1080
What step-by-step reasoning justifies that answer?
Reasoning: First find the total number of snakes eaten: 5 snakes / jaguar * 6 jaguars = 30 snakes. Then find the total number of birds eaten per day: 30 snakes * 3 birds / snake = 90 snakes. Then multiply the number of snakes by the number of beetles per snake to find the total number of beetles eaten per day: 90 snakes * 12 beetles / snake = 1080 beetles.