A group of students recycles 7 2/3 pounds of glass and 9 3/4 pounds of paper. How many pounds of paper and glass did the kids recycle all together?

17 5/12 lb total

Step-by-step explanation:

Find the total weight of the materials recycled:

7 2/3 lb + 9 3/4 lb

Here the LCD is 12. (Both 3 and 4 divide evenly into 12.)

Rewriting 7 2/3 lb + 9 3/4 lb with the LCD 12, we get:

7 8/12 lb + 9 9/12 lb, or 16 17/12 lb.

The fraction here must be reduced. We get

17 5/12 lb total (Recognize that 17/12 = 1 5/12.)