The problem states:

Melissa's family is going hiking around Teddy Roosevelt Island on the Swamp Trail. Each lap they walk is $1 \frac{1}{4}$ miles. If they walk 4 laps, how many miles did they walk?

Solution:

1. Convert the mixed number to an improper fraction: $1 \frac{1}{4} = \frac{5}{4} \text{ miles}$

2. Multiply the distance of one lap by the number of laps: $\text{Total distance} = 4 \times \frac{5}{4}$

3. Simplify the expression: $4 \times \frac{5}{4} = \frac{20}{4} = 5 \text{ miles}$

So, Melissa's family walked a total of 5 miles.

Would you like any more details or have any questions?

Relative Questions:

1. How do you convert a mixed number into an improper fraction?
2. What other methods could you use to multiply fractions?
3. If Melissa’s family walked half of a lap more, how many miles would they have walked?
4. How would the total distance change if each lap was $2 \frac{1}{2}$ miles instead?
5. Can you express the distance of 4 laps as a decimal?

Tip:

When multiplying fractions, always simplify the fractions first if possible to make the multiplication easier.