The problem reads:

Mel purchased 3 cartons of detergent for the store's laundry room. Each carton contains 4 boxes of detergent, and each box weighs 60 ounces. The question is: How many pounds total did Mel purchase of detergent?

Solution:

1. Calculate the total number of boxes: $\text{Total boxes} = 3 \, \text{cartons} \times 4 \, \text{boxes per carton} = 12 \, \text{boxes}.$

2. Calculate the total weight in ounces: $\text{Total weight (oz)} = 12 \, \text{boxes} \times 60 \, \text{oz per box} = 720 \, \text{oz}.$

3. Convert ounces to pounds: Since there are 16 ounces in a pound: $\text{Total weight (lb)} = \frac{720 \, \text{oz}}{16} = 45 \, \text{lb}.$

Final Answer:

Mel purchased 45 pounds of detergent.

Let me know if you'd like further clarification!

Follow-up questions:

1. How do you convert ounces to pounds in general?
2. If each box weighed 80 ounces instead, what would be the total weight in pounds?
3. What if Mel purchased 5 cartons instead of 3? How would the total weight change?
4. How would the answer differ if a box weighed 1.5 pounds directly?
5. Can you explain how to generalize this calculation for any number of cartons, boxes, or weight?

Tip:

Always keep track of units during calculations to avoid errors, especially when converting between systems like ounces and pounds!