Answer:
2 and 3/4 lbs
Explanation:
4 and 1/2 is equal to 9/2. If you multiply 4 by 2 and then add 1, you get 9, and put it over 2 because that is the denominator in the mixed number. Using the same method, we can find that 1 and 3/4 is equal to 7/4. However, the denominators are different, so we need to change that so they will be common. We can change 9/2 to 18/4 by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by 2. This is technically the same as multiplying by 2/2, which is equal to 1, so the fraction will be equivalent, since anything multiplied by 1 is itself. Now we have 18/4 for the large carton and 7/4 for the small carton. Since the denominators are the same, they do not change. Just subtract the numerators to get 11, and then put it over 4 to get 11/4. In mixed number form, this is 2 and 3/4 lbs because 4 goes into 11 twice (8) and then you will have 3 left over. 8+3 = 11