Maggi buys 3/4 pounds of blueberries and uses 3/5 to make a smoothie. How many pounds of blueberries did Maggi use to make a smoothie?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
Maggi used 920\frac{9}{20} pounds of blueberries to make a smoothie.
Explanation (300 Words):
To solve this problem, we are told:
- Maggi bought 34\frac{3}{4} pounds of blueberries.
- She used 35\frac{3}{5} of what she bought to make a smoothie.
The key here is to understand that we need to find a fraction of a fraction. Specifically, we need to multiply the two fractions together: 35×34\frac{3}{5} \times \frac{3}{4}
When multiplying fractions, we multiply the numerators (top numbers) and then the denominators (bottom numbers): 3×35×4=920\frac{3 \times 3}{5 \times 4} = \frac{9}{20}
So, Maggi used 920\frac{9}{20} pounds of blueberries to make her smoothie.
Why This Makes Sense:
Let’s break it down with a real-world interpretation:
- Maggi starts with three-quarters of a pound of blueberries.
- She does not use all of them—she uses three-fifths of that amount.
- To find out how much she actually used, we find a portion (three-fifths) of the original portion (three-quarters).
This is a common operation in real-life situations where we calculate part of a part. For example, if you eat half of a pizza and then give away a third of what you ate, you’ve given away one-third of one-half, which is one-sixth.
Final Answer:
Maggi used 920\frac{9}{20} pounds of blueberries to make a smoothie.