Mala is counting backwards from 20. How many steps will it take to reach 0? Explain why?
It will take 20 steps to reach 0.
Explanation: Counting backwards from 20 means: 20, 19, 18, 17... down to 1, 0. Each number counts as one step. There are 20 numbers from 20 down to 1, plus one more step to reach 0. When counting backwards from 20 to 0, each decrease by 1 counts as one step. The sequence is: 20→19 (1 step), 19→18 (2 steps), continuing until 1→0 (20 steps total). The distance from 20 to 0 is exactly 20 units, requiring 20 steps.
Step 1: Start at 20. Step 2: Count each step backward: 20 to 19 (1), 19 to 18 (2)... down to 1 to 0 (20). Step 3: Total steps = 20. ∴ It will take 20 steps to reach 0.
Explanation
When counting backwards from 20 to 0, each decrease by 1 counts as one step. The sequence is: 20→19 (1 step), 19→18 (2 steps), continuing until 1→0 (20 steps total). The distance from 20 to 0 is exactly 20 units, requiring 20 steps.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Start at 20
Step 2: Count each step backward: 20 to 19 (1), 19 to 18 (2)... down to 1 to 0 (20)
Step 3: Total steps = 20