Gail bought 7/8 pound of cheese and Jose bought 1/3 pound of cheese. How much more cheese did Gail buy than Jose?

7/8 * 3 = 21/24

1/3 * 8 = 8/24

21-8 = 13

Gail bought 13/24 pound more than Jose

the given 6 = w/p is equivalent to 6p = w, where w is the total area of the walls and p is the area covered by a single can of paint.

knowing that 6 cans of paint will be needed, 6p = w becomes 6(6) = w = 36.   this tells us that the total area to be painted is 36 square units.