Jon is making hamburgers for lunch. He has 42#2/3# lbs of ground beef. How many #1/3# pound hamburgers can he make using all the ground beef?

3 Answers

We first convert the amount of ground beef into a non-mixed fraction.

Explanation:

#42 2/3=42xx3/3+2/3=126/3+2/3=128/3=128xx1/3#

So he can make #128# hamburgers of #1/3# pound each.

Feb 11, 2017

#128#

Explanation:

#(42 2/3)/(1/3)#

#:.=42 2/3-:1/3#

#:.=42 2/3 xx 3/1#

#:.=128/cancel3^1 xx cancel3^1/1#

#:.=128 xx 1/3# pound hamburgers

Feb 12, 2017

#128# hamburgers

Explanation:

The first decision is which operation is going to be done.

Students are often easily alarmed and confused when fractions appear in a question.

Consider the question "Tom has #450# marbles and decides to sell them in bags of #10#. How many bags can he make to sell?"

Each bag will have #10# marbles.
This will be solved by dividing: #450 div 40 = 45# bags.

The question with the hamburgers in this case is exactly the same...

Each hamburger uses #1/3# pound of beef.
How many can be made from #42 2/3# pounds of beef?

It is again a division: #" "color(red)(42 2/3) color(blue)(div 1/3)#

#color(red)(128/3) color(blue)(div 1/3)" "larr# change to an improper fraction

#=128/3 color(blue)(xx 3/1)" "larr# multiply by the reciprocal

#=128/cancel3 xx cancel3/1" "larr# simplify

#= 128# hamburgers