Question: Debbie works at a post office packing boxes to mail. Each large box takes 4 feet of packing tape to seal, each medium box takes 2 feet of packing tape to seal, and each small box takes 1 foot of packing tape to seal. Each box also takes 1 foot of packing tape to stick the address label on. Debbie packed two large boxes, eight medium boxes, and five small boxes this afternoon. How much tape did she use? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
Debbie used 4 * 2 = 8 feet of tape for the large boxes. She used 2 * 8 = 16 feet of tape for the medium boxes. She used 1 * 5 = 5 feet of tape for the small boxes. There were 2 + 8 + 5 = 15 boxes in all. She used 1 * 15 = 15 feet of tape for the address labels. Thus, she used 8 + 16 + 5 + 15 = 44 feet of tape in all. So the answer is 44.