Final answer:
Mr. Paulson can serve 12 people with 6 pounds of yams.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many people Mr. Paulson can serve with 6 pounds of yams, we need to divide the total weight of the yams by the weight eaten by each person.
Since each person eats 1/2 pound of yams, we divide 6 pounds by 1/2 pound:
6 pounds ÷ (1/2 pound/person) = 6 pounds × (2 pounds/1 pound) = 12 people
Therefore, Mr. Paulson can serve 12 people with 6 pounds of yams.