Question

Maryam made a fruit salad with 1 pound of melon and 8 2/5 pounds of berries. How many pounds of fruit did Maryam use in all?

Answer 1

9.4 pounds of fruit

Step-by-step explanation:

When dealing with a mixed number, such as 8 and 2/5, in this example, it is important to know how to convert it into a decimal number.

We have 8 wholes and two fifths, so 8 will be the integer of the decimal number.

Now for two fifths (2/5), you can think of it as having five parts of something (let's say five pieces of cake) and taking two of them.

Converted to decimal number, that would be 2 divided by five which is 0.4. So:

8 and 2/5 = 8.4

Now, as for the total amount of fruit, we simply add up all sorts of fruit used for the salad.

We have 1 pound of melon and 8.4 pounds of berries, which is in total:

1 + 8.4 = 9.4 pounds of fruit.