Question

Hayley is making trail mix using the ingredients listed below.

2 1/2 cups cereal

3/4 cup nuts

1/4 cup coconut

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

What is the total amount of all four ingredients?

Answer 1

To find the total amount of all four ingredients in Hayley's trail mix, we need to add them together. It's best to convert all amounts to fractions with a common denominator to make the addition easier.

1. **Cereal:** \(2 \frac{1}{2} = \frac{5}{2}\) cups
2. **Nuts:** \(\frac{3}{4}\) cup
3. **Coconut:** \(\frac{1}{4}\) cup
4. **Chocolate chips:** \(1 \frac{1}{4} = \frac{5}{4}\) cups

Next, we'll convert all of these fractions to have a common denominator. The least common denominator for \(2\), \(4\), and \(4\) is \(4\).

Now, let's convert each ingredient:

1. **Cereal:**
\[
\frac{5}{2} = \frac{5 \times 2}{2 \times 2} = \frac{10}{4}
\]

2. **Nuts:**
\[
\frac{3}{4} = \frac{3}{4}
\]

3. **Coconut:**
\[
\frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{4}
\]

4. **Chocolate chips:**
\[
\frac{5}{4} = \frac{5}{4}
\]

Now, we can add all the ingredients together:
\[
\frac{10}{4} + \frac{3}{4} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{5}{4}
\]

Adding the numerators:
\[
10 + 3 + 1 + 5 = 19
\]

So the total amount is:
\[
\frac{19}{4}
\]
which can be converted back to a mixed number:
\[
\frac{19}{4} = 4 \frac{3}{4}
\]

Thus, the total amount of all four ingredients is \(4 \frac{3}{4}\) cups.