Question

A muffin recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose white flour, 1 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour and & 3/8 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 will add the amounts of each type of flour together.

1. Convert all measurements to improper fractions or decimal forms for easier addition.
- \(2 \frac{1}{4} = \frac{9}{4}\) cups of all-purpose white flour.
- \(1 \frac{1}{3} = \frac{4}{3}\) cups of whole wheat flour.
- \(\frac{3}{8}\) cups of buckwheat flour.

2. We need a common denominator to add these fractions. The least common denominator of 4, 3, and 8 is 24.

3. Convert each fraction to have a denominator of 24:
- For \(\frac{9}{4}\):
\[
\frac{9}{4} = \frac{9 \times 6}{4 \times 6} = \frac{54}{24}
\]
- For \(\frac{4}{3}\):
\[
\frac{4}{3} = \frac{4 \times 8}{3 \times 8} = \frac{32}{24}
\]
- For \(\frac{3}{8}\):
\[
\frac{3}{8} = \frac{3 \times 3}{8 \times 3} = \frac{9}{24}
\]

4. Now add these fractions together:
\[
\frac{54}{24} + \frac{32}{24} + \frac{9}{24} = \frac{54 + 32 + 9}{24} = \frac{95}{24}
\]

5. Convert \(\frac{95}{24}\) back to a mixed number:
- \(95 \div 24 = 3\) with a remainder of 23, so:
\[
\frac{95}{24} = 3 \frac{23}{24}
\]

Thus, the total amount of flour used in the muffin recipe is **3 \(\frac{23}{24}\) cups** of flour.