Answer: We can solve this problem by finding the total weight of the meat and then dividing by the weight of each patty to see if we can make the desired number of patties.
Let's add the weights of the two packages of meat:
10 + 11.5 = 21.5
For option A, we need 87 1/4-pound patties.
Each pound of meat will yield 4 patties of this size, so 21.5 pounds of meat will yield:
21.5 x 4 = 86 patties
Since we need 87 patties, Claude does not have enough meat for option A.
For option B, we need 45 1/2-pound patties.
Each pound of meat will yield 2 patties of this size, so 21.5 pounds of meat will yield:
21.5 x 2 = 43 patties
Since we need 45 patties, Claude does not have enough meat for option B.
For option C, we need 30 1/2-pound patties and 2 74-pound patties.
Each pound of meat will yield 2 patties of the smaller size and 1 patty of the larger size, so 21.5 pounds of meat will yield:
(21.5 x 2) + (2 x 1) = 43 + 2 = 45 patties
Since Claude only has 21.5 pounds of meat, he does not have enough for option C.
For option D, we need 29 3/4-pound patties.
Each pound of meat will yield 1.5 patties of this size, so 21.5 pounds of meat will yield:
21.5 x 1.5 = 32.25 patties
Since we only need 29.75 patties, Claude has enough meat for option D.
Therefore, the answer is Yes, Claude can make 29 3/4-pound hamburger patties.