Question

tara and brian weighed their pet cats. taras cat weighed 10 11/12 pounds and brians cat weighed 6 5/12 pounds. if they weighed both cats at once, how much would the cats weigh in all? write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number. pounds

Explanation:

Step1: Convert mixed - numbers to improper fractions

Tara's cat: $10\frac{11}{12}=\frac{10\times12 + 11}{12}=\frac{120+11}{12}=\frac{131}{12}$ pounds. Brian's cat: $6\frac{5}{12}=\frac{6\times12 + 5}{12}=\frac{72 + 5}{12}=\frac{77}{12}$ pounds.

Step2: Add the two fractions

$\frac{131}{12}+\frac{77}{12}=\frac{131 + 77}{12}=\frac{208}{12}$

Step3: Simplify the fraction

$\frac{208}{12}=\frac{208\div4}{12\div4}=\frac{52}{3}$
Convert $\frac{52}{3}$ to a mixed - number: $52\div3 = 17$ with a remainder of $1$, so $\frac{52}{3}=17\frac{1}{3}$

Answer:

$17\frac{1}{3}$