Ethan used (17/5) cups of flour for bread and 2 (3/10) cups for muffins. Written as a mixed number, how many cups of flour did he use altogether?

Answer: 57105\frac{7}{10} cups

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Convert mixed number to an improper fraction

Ethan used 175\frac{17}{5} cups of flour for bread and 23102\frac{3}{10} cups for muffins. To add these two quantities, we first convert the mixed number 23102\frac{3}{10} into an improper fraction. Multiplying the whole number 22 by the denominator 1010 and adding the numerator 33 gives 2310\frac{23}{10}.

Step 2: Find a common denominator for the fractions

The denominators are 55 and 1010. The least common multiple (LCM) of 55 and 1010 is 1010. We convert 175\frac{17}{5} into an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 1010 by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by 22, giving 3410\frac{34}{10}.

Step 3: Add the fractions to find the total flour

Now that both fractions have the same denominator, we add their numerators together: 34+23=5734 + 23 = 57. The total amount of flour used is 5710\frac{57}{10} cups.

Step 4: Convert the improper fraction to a mixed number

Dividing 5757 by 1010 yields a quotient of 55 with a remainder of 77. Therefore, the total amount of flour written as a mixed number is 57105\frac{7}{10} cups.

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