A chef ordered 8 3/5 pounds of red onions and 7 1/2 pounds of yellow onions. How many pounds of onions did the chef order in all?
Write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.
pounds
To find the total pounds of onions ordered, we need to add the pounds of red onions and yellow onions together.
8 3/5 pounds of red onions can also be written as 8 + 3/5 = 8 6/10 = 8 3/5.
7 1/2 pounds of yellow onions can also be written as 7 + 1/2 = 7 5/10 = 7 1/2.
Adding the pounds of red onions and yellow onions together, we get:
8 3/5 + 7 1/2 = 8 + 3/5 + 7 + 1/2
= 8 + 7 + 3/5 + 1/2
= 15 + 3/5 + 1/2
= 15 + (3/5 * 2/2) + (1/2 * 5/5)
= 15 + 6/10 + 5/10
= 15 + 11/10
To simplify the fraction, we can divide 11 by 10, which equals 1 whole and 1/10. So we have:
15 + 11/10 = 15 + 1/1 + 1/10
= 15 + 1 + 1/10
= 16 + 1/10
Therefore, the chef ordered 16 1/10 pounds of onions in total.