A baker needs 8 1/2 cups of flour for a sheet cake recipe. He has 4 2/3 cups of flour in a canister and buys 5 1/4 cups more.

Question

How much flour does he have left after he makes the sheet cake?

Enter your answer as a mixed number in simplest form by filling in the boxes.

$$
cups

Answer 1

To find out how much flour the baker has left after making the sheet cake, we need to perform the following calculations:

1. Determine the total amount of flour the baker has.
2. Subtract the amount of flour needed for the sheet cake from the total amount.

Step 1: Calculate the total amount of flour

The baker has:

• 4 2/3 cups of flour in the canister
• 5 1/4 cups of flour bought

First, we convert these fractions to improper fractions:

4 2/3 = (4 * 3 + 2) / 3 = (12 + 2) / 3 = 14/3

5 1/4 = (5 * 4 + 1) / 4 = (20 + 1) / 4 = 21/4

Next, we need to find a common denominator to add these two fractions. The least common denominator (LCD) for 3 and 4 is 12.

Now, we convert each fraction:

14/3 = (14 * 4) / (3 * 4) = 56/12

21/4 = (21 * 3) / (4 * 3) = 63/12

Now we can add the fractions:

Total flour = 56/12 + 63/12 = (56 + 63) / 12 = 119/12

Step 2: Subtract the amount needed for the sheet cake

The recipe requires 8 1/2 cups of flour.

Convert this to an improper fraction:

8 1/2 = (8 * 2 + 1) / 2 = (16 + 1) / 2 = 17/2

Now we need to find a common denominator to subtract. The LCD for 12 and 2 is 12. We convert 17/2 to a fraction with a denominator of 12:

17/2 = (17 * 6) / (2 * 6) = 102/12

Now we subtract:

Flour left = Total flour - Recipe flour Flour left = 119/12 - 102/12 = (119 - 102) / 12 = 17/12

Step 3: Convert to a mixed number

To convert 17/12 to a mixed number, we divide:

17 ÷ 12 = 1 with a remainder of 5.

Thus, we have:

17/12 = 1 5/12.

Conclusion

The baker has 1 5/12 cups of flour left after making the sheet cake.

The answer is:

1 5/12