Gary ate 1/2 of a plate of brownies. Bryan ate 3/8 of the same plate of brownies. What fraction of the plate of brownies did the boys eat?

Answer 1

The problem states that Gary ate 1/2 of the plate of brownies. This is the same as saying Gary ate 4/8 of the brownies, because both 1/2 and 4/8 mean half of the brownies have been eaten. (1/2 = 4/8)

The problem also says that Bryan ate 3/8 of the plate of brownies.

To calculate the fraction of the brownies that the boys ate, you must add Gary's portion (4/8) to Bryan's portion (3/8).

4/8 + 3/8 = 7/8