Question: Jack goes up three flights of stairs, then down six flights of stairs. If each flight of stairs has 12 steps that each each 8 inches high, how many feet further down is Jack than when he started? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
First find the number of inches in each flight of stairs: 12 steps * 8 inches / step = 96 inches. Then find the net number of flights of stairs Jack went down: 6 flights - 3 flights = 3 flights. Then multiply than number by the number of inches per flight to find how many inches further down he is: 96 inches / flight * 3 flights = 288 inches. Then divide that number by 12 to find the number of feet down he is: 288 inches / 12 inches / foot = 24 feet. So the answer is 24.