Mary ate 4 1/2 pears and Carmie ate 7 2/4 pears. If they finished all the pears in a box, how many pears were in the box?

Answer 1

To add their pears, change 4 1/2 to an improper fraction: 4 1/2 = 2/2 + 4/2 = 6/2 = <<4+1/2=6/3=2>>2.
Then add their fractions: 2 + 7 2/4 = 2 + 7/2 = 16/2 + 7/2 = 23/2 = <<16+7/2=23/2>>11 1/2.
Then convert their sum back into a mixed number: 11 1/2 = 11 + 1/2 = 11 1/2 = <<11+1/2=11 1/2>>11.5 pears. Answer: \boxed{11.5}.