An ant is crawling along a yardstick that is pointed with the 0-inch mark to the east and the 36-inch mark to the west. It starts at the 6-inch mark, crawls to the 19-inch mark, then moves to the 7-inch mark. What was the total distance the ant traveled?

it moves 25 inches.

Explanation:

the east west bit isn't important, ignore it. if an ant starts at 6 then moves to 19 then we need to subtract 19 from 6, that's 13. then it moves to 7. the difference between 19 and 7 is 12. add that to 13 and you get 25. it's important to remember that there is no such thing as negative distance. if it moved, then it counts.

a skateboard rolling across the street - apex