Question

Ian poured 2 gallons of water into a bucket. Later, he added 1/4 of a gallon more. How much water is in the bucket now?

Write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.

Answer 1

Ian originally poured 2 gallons of water into the bucket and then added \( \frac{1}{4} \) of a gallon more.

To find the total amount of water in the bucket, we can add these two amounts together:

\[
2 + \frac{1}{4}
\]

To perform this addition, it is useful to express \( 2 \) as a fraction with the same denominator as \( \frac{1}{4} \). The number \( 2 \) can be written as:

\[
2 = \frac{8}{4}
\]

Now we can add \( \frac{8}{4} \) and \( \frac{1}{4} \):

\[
\frac{8}{4} + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{8 + 1}{4} = \frac{9}{4}
\]

The result \( \frac{9}{4} \) can also be expressed as a mixed number:

\[
\frac{9}{4} = 2 \frac{1}{4}
\]

Thus, the total amount of water in the bucket now is

\[
\frac{9}{4} \text{ or } 2 \frac{1}{4} \text{ gallons.}
\]