2 1/2 +3
pretend that there is a denominator for 3 which is 1
2 1/2 +3/1
find the common denominator for 3/1 which is 2
multiply by 2 for 3/1
3(2)/1(2)=6/2
2 1/2 +6/2
make 2 1/2 into a fraction
multiply 2*2 first
2*2=4
add 4 with the numerator
4+1=5
2 1/2=5/2
5/2+6/2
=11/2
= 5 1/2
answer: 11/2 or 5 1/2