Question

You are planning a summer cookout and decide to serve quarter-pound hamburgers. If you buy 5 and a 1/2 pounds of hamburger meat, how many burgers can you make? how would I solve this?

Answer 1

Well, namely, you've got 5 and 1/2 lbs of meat, and each burger will be 1/4 lb, so how many times 1/4 goes into 5 and 1/2?

let's first make the 5 and 1/2 mixed fraction to "improper" and divide them both.

$\bf \stackrel{mixed}{5\frac{1}{2}}\implies \cfrac{5\cdot 2+1}{2}\implies \stackrel{improper}{\cfrac{11}{2}}\\\\ -------------------------------\\\\ \cfrac{\quad \frac{11}{2}\quad }{\frac{1}{4}}\implies \cfrac{11}{2}\cdot \cfrac{4}{1}\implies \cfrac{11}{1}\cdot \cfrac{2}{1}\implies \cfrac{22}{1}\implies \stackrel{\textit{burgers}}{22}$

don't forget the bbq sauce.