. **Equation**:

The equation to find the total amount of chocolate chips Samantha used is:
\[ \frac{3}{4} + \frac{2}{5} \]

2. **Finding a Common Denominator**:
To add the fractions, we need to find a common denominator. The denominators are 4 and 5. The least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 5 is 20.
So, we will convert each fraction to have a denominator of 20.

- For \(\frac{3}{4}\):
\[
\frac{3}{4} = \frac{3 \times 5}{4 \times 5} = \frac{15}{20}
\]
- For \(\frac{2}{5}\):
\[
\frac{2}{5} = \frac{2 \times 4}{5 \times 4} = \frac{8}{20}
\]

3. **Adding the Converted Fractions**:
Now we can add the two fractions:
\[
\frac{15}{20} + \frac{8}{20} = \frac{15 + 8}{20} = \frac{23}{20}
\]

4. **Writing the Correct Answer with Label**:
The total amount of chocolate chips Samantha used is:
\(\frac{23}{20}\) cups, or in a mixed number form, it is \(1 \frac{3}{20}\) cups of chocolate chips.

5. **Work Explanation**:
- We began with the initial amounts of chocolate chips: \(\frac{3}{4}\) and \(\frac{2}{5}\).
- We found a common denominator of 20.
- We converted the fractions to have the same denominator:
- \(\frac{3}{4}\) became \(\frac{15}{20}\).
- \(\frac{2}{5}\) became \(\frac{8}{20}\).
- Then we added the fractions in their new form to get \(\frac{23}{20}\).
- Finally, we expressed our final answer as "1 \(\frac{3}{20}\) cups" or simply \(\frac{23}{20}\) cups.

**Final Answer**:
Samantha used a total of **1 \(\frac{3}{20}\) cups of chocolate chips** or **\(\frac{23}{20}\) cups of chocolate chips**. in easier words

1 answer

Sure! Let's simplify that explanation using simpler words.

  1. Finding the Total Chocolate Chips: To find out how many chocolate chips Samantha used, we start with two amounts: \( \frac{3}{4} \) cups and \( \frac{2}{5} \) cups.

  2. Finding a Common Denominator: We need to add these two fractions together, but first, we need them to have the same bottom number, or denominator. The bottom numbers are 4 and 5. The smallest number that both can go into is 20. So, we will change both fractions to have 20 as the bottom number.

    • For \( \frac{3}{4} \): \[ \frac{3}{4} = \frac{15}{20} \quad \text{(we multiplied the top and bottom by 5)} \]
    • For \( \frac{2}{5} \): \[ \frac{2}{5} = \frac{8}{20} \quad \text{(we multiplied the top and bottom by 4)} \]
  3. Adding the Fractions Together: Now, we can add the two fractions because they have the same bottom number: \[ \frac{15}{20} + \frac{8}{20} = \frac{23}{20} \]

  4. Final Answer: So, the total amount of chocolate chips Samantha used is \( \frac{23}{20} \) cups. This can also be expressed as a mixed number: \( 1 \frac{3}{20} \) cups.

  5. Summary:

    • We started with \( \frac{3}{4} \) and \( \frac{2}{5} \).
    • We changed them to have the same bottom number of 20.
    • After adding, we found that Samantha used a total of 1 \(\frac{3}{20}\) cups of chocolate chips or \(\frac{23}{20}\) cups of chocolate chips.

Final Answer: Samantha used a total of 1 \(\frac{3}{20}\) cups or \(\frac{23}{20}\) cups of chocolate chips.