Mary 4 1 / 2 pears and carmie ate 7 2/4 pears if they finish all the pairs in a box how many pairs were in the box

To find the total number of pears in the box, we need to add together the number of pears that Mary and Carmie ate.

First, let's convert the mixed numbers into improper fractions:

- Mary ate \( 4 \frac{1}{2} \) pears:
\[
4 \frac{1}{2} = \frac{4 \times 2 + 1}{2} = \frac{8 + 1}{2} = \frac{9}{2}
\]

- Carmie ate \( 7 \frac{2}{4} \) pears:
\[
7 \frac{2}{4} = \frac{7 \times 4 + 2}{4} = \frac{28 + 2}{4} = \frac{30}{4} = \frac{15}{2}
\]

Now we can add these two improper fractions together:
\[
\frac{9}{2} + \frac{15}{2} = \frac{9 + 15}{2} = \frac{24}{2} = 12
\]

Thus, the total number of pears in the box is **12 pears**.