Question

A muffin recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose white flour, 1 1/3 cups of whole wheat and 3/4 cup of buckwheat flour. How much total flour is being used?

Answer 1

To find the total amount of flour used in the muffin recipe, we need to add the amounts of each type of flour together.

1. Convert each quantity to improper fractions:
- \(2 \frac{1}{4} = \frac{9}{4}\) (since \(2 \times 4 + 1 = 9\))
- \(1 \frac{1}{3} = \frac{4}{3}\) (since \(1 \times 3 + 1 = 4\))
- \(\frac{3}{4}\) is already an improper fraction.

2. To add the fractions, we first need a common denominator. The denominators are 4, 3, and 4. The least common multiple (LCM) of 3 and 4 is 12.

3. Convert each fraction to have a denominator of 12:
- \(\frac{9}{4} = \frac{9 \times 3}{4 \times 3} = \frac{27}{12}\)
- \(\frac{4}{3} = \frac{4 \times 4}{3 \times 4} = \frac{16}{12}\)
- \(\frac{3}{4} = \frac{3 \times 3}{4 \times 3} = \frac{9}{12}\)

4. Now, add the fractions together:
\[
\frac{27}{12} + \frac{16}{12} + \frac{9}{12} = \frac{27 + 16 + 9}{12} = \frac{52}{12}
\]

5. Simplify \(\frac{52}{12}\):
\(\frac{52}{12} = \frac{13}{3}\) (dividing numerator and denominator by 4).

6. Convert \(\frac{13}{3}\) back to a mixed number:
- \(13 \div 3 = 4\) with a remainder of 1, giving us \(4 \frac{1}{3}\).

Thus, the total amount of flour used is \(4 \frac{1}{3}\) cups.