Mixed Word Problems!
Joseph has 2 1/2 bags of popcorn. Peter has 1 ¾ bags of popcorn. How much do they have together?
"Together" indicates we add. 4 1/4. If you didn't get the right answer, check to see if you added correctly and if you converted your improper fraction and added the whole numbers. 4 1/4
Ms. Vehar made cookies. One recipe calls for 3 2/3 cups of flour. The second recipe calls for 2 5/6 cups flour. How much flour did she use?
6 3/6 or 6 1/2
Mrs. Tompkins is making holiday treats. She needs 5 cups of flour. She has 1 1/3 cups of flour. How much more flour does she need?
"How much more," indicates we are looking for a difference in what she needs and what she has. Subtract. Answer: 3 2/3. If you got it wrong, check to see that you borrowed. When you only have a fraction on the bottom, you can't just drop it down or you've not subtracted it!
Mr. Richter wants to give 1/4 of a Crumbl cookie to each of his students. How many cookies does he need to buy if he has 20 students?
5
Taylor's family has to travel 78 1/5 miles to see her grandmother. They have already traveled 32 1/100 miles. How much farther do they have to go?
You need to subtract. "How much farther" indicated you were looking for the difference in how far they have to go and how far they had already gone. A difference is an answer to a subtraction problem! Answer: 45 88/100
Mrs. Price has 2 pounds of chocolate. She will use 2/3 of the chocolate for her holiday truffles. How much will she use?
Multiply. Mrs. Price used 2/3 of the chocolate. 2/3 OF 2 lbs. chocolate. Answer: 1 1/3 pounds
In the US, 1/5 of the population is left-handed males. 1/10 are left-handed females. What part of the population is left-handed?
Since all the lefties are either male of female, we are adding to find the total. 3/10
Ms. Leone has 4 2/3 lbs of potatoes. She used 1/3 of the potatoes. How many lbs of potatoes did she use?
Multiply! Ms. Jones used 1/3 of the 4 2/3 pounds of potatoes. Answer: 1 5/9
Ben and Daniel wanted to see who was taller. They had their mom measure their heights with a yardstick. Ben was 52 1/6 inches tall, and Daniel was 48 1/2 inches tall. How much taller is Ben than Daniel?
Subtract. "How much taller," indicates we are looking for a difference. Answer: 3 4/6.
A pot of chili holds 12 cups. Each person eats 1/4 cup. How many portions of chili can you make with 12 cups?
Divide! You are taking a total amount of 12 cups and seeing how many 1/4 cups portions go into making up the 12 cups. Answer: 48
Raania is making samples of one of her fashion designs. She has 14 yards of fabric. Each sample takes 1/2 yards of fabric. How many samples can she make?
Divide! The clue is you are taking a total amount (14 yards) and seeing how many 1/2 yards pieces Raania can cut from the 14 yards. Answer: 28
Lilli bought 10 yards of material to make chair cushions. She cut the material into pieces 1/3 yards long to make each cushion. How many cushions did Lilli make?
Divide! The clue is, you are taking a total amount (10 yards) and seeing how many 1/3 yards pieces Lilli can cut. Answer: 30
A group of Boy Scouts are cutting rope to prepare for their next rock climbing activity. They have 24 ft of rope, and each Boy Scout will need 1/2 ft of rope for his gear. How many Boy Scouts will get their rope?
Divide! You are starting with the total amount of 24 ft of rope, and you are seeing how many 1/2 feet pieces the Boy Scouts can cut from that. Answer: 48
Ms. Kern needs 3/7 cup of sugar to bake a cake. How much will she need to bake 3 cakes?
Multiply/Add. We could add 3/7 three times, but anytime we can repeatedly add, we can also multiply. Answer 1 2/7
Mrs. Fritts had 18 lbs of oranges. She gave away 5/6 of the oranges. How much did she keep for her family?
Multiply. She gave away 5/6 of the oranges. We're asking, "What is 5/6 OF 18 lbs." Answer: 15 lbs
Cadence mixed a total of 2 bags of potting mix for her plants. She put ¾ bag of perlite, ½ bag of bark, and the rest was soil. How much soil did she put into the mixture?
3/4