Question

Chad and his two friends are picking blueberries at a local farm. Chad picked 2 1/2 pounds of blueberries, and one of his friends picked 1 3/8 pounds. If they ended up with a total of 5 1/4 pounds, how many pounds did Chad's other friend pick? Express your answer as a mixed number.

Answer 1

2 1/2 = 4/8
2 4/8+1 3/8= 3 7/8
answer:3 7/8

Answer 2

The Chad's friend picked
`2(3)/(8)` pounds.

Explanation:

First the equation to find the pounds picked by Chad´s friend (x):

`2(1)/(2) +1(3)/(8) +x=5(1)/(4)`

To solve the problem we have to put all the fractions with the same denominator (8) and reorganize the equation:

`x=5(2)/(8) -2(4)/(8) -1(3)/(8)`

Now when can do the operations of sum and subtraction:

`x=2(3)/(8)`

The Chad's friend picked
`2(3)/(8)` pounds.