Question

The recipe for a cake calls for the following dry ingredients. 1/3 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of cornmeal, and 1/2 cups of flour. What is the total number of cups of dry ingredients called for? Convers your answer to a mixed number

Answer 1

To find the total number of cups of dry ingredients, we need to add the amounts of each ingredient together:

1. Sugar: \( \frac{1}{3} \) cup
2. Cornmeal: \( \frac{3}{4} \) cup
3. Flour: \( \frac{1}{2} \) cup

First, we need to find a common denominator for the fractions. The denominators are 3, 4, and 2. The least common multiple of these numbers is 12.

Next, we convert each fraction to have a denominator of 12:

1. For \( \frac{1}{3} \):
\[
\frac{1}{3} = \frac{1 \times 4}{3 \times 4} = \frac{4}{12}
\]

2. For \( \frac{3}{4} \):
\[
\frac{3}{4} = \frac{3 \times 3}{4 \times 3} = \frac{9}{12}
\]

3. For \( \frac{1}{2} \):
\[
\frac{1}{2} = \frac{1 \times 6}{2 \times 6} = \frac{6}{12}
\]

Now, we can add the fractions together:
\[
\frac{4}{12} + \frac{9}{12} + \frac{6}{12} = \frac{4 + 9 + 6}{12} = \frac{19}{12}
\]

Now, we convert \( \frac{19}{12} \) into a mixed number. 12 goes into 19 once, with a remainder of 7.

So, \( \frac{19}{12} = 1 \frac{7}{12} \).

Thus, the total number of cups of dry ingredients is \( \boxed{1 \frac{7}{12}} \).