Ricky needs 3 1/4 cups of sugar to make candy. He already has 2 1/2 cups. How many more cups of sugar does he need?

Do you add for this question or subtract? That's all that I need to know.

subtract what he has from the total.

Try both adding and subtracting. Which gives a reasonable answer for that question.

Look.

If I said I had to pick 10 apples, but I only had 7 so far, how would you decide the number I still needed?

Don't let the fractions scare you. They're just numbers.

you subtract

Right

To find out how many more cups of sugar Ricky needs, you need to subtract the amount of sugar he already has from the amount he needs. Let's break it down step by step.

First, convert the mixed numbers into improper fractions to simplify the calculations.

Ricky already has 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Converting this mixed number to an improper fraction, we have:

2 1/2 = (2 * 2) + 1 / 2 = 5/2

Now, Ricky needs 3 1/4 cups of sugar. Converting this mixed number to an improper fraction:

3 1/4 = (3 * 4) + 1 / 4 = 13/4

To find how many more cups of sugar Ricky needs, subtract the amount he already has from the amount he needs:

13/4 - 5/2 = (13 - 10) / 4 = 3/4

Therefore, Ricky needs an additional 3/4 cup of sugar to make candy.

From the total of what, Steve? Do you mean to add first and then subtract?

I need to solve it, but all I need to personally need to know is if you add or subtract. If you tell me to example add, that won't be giving me the answer.

What part of Steve's answer don't you understand?

The total is the amount of sugar he needs.