Mrs. Carter needs flour for 3 different types of cookies, and each type requires $1 \frac{1}{3}$ cups of flour.

To find the total amount of flour needed, multiply the amount required for one type by the number of types:

$1 \frac{1}{3} \text{ cups} \times 3 = 4 \text{ cups}$

Thus, Mrs. Carter needs approximately 4 cups of flour to make all three types of cookies.

If you need more details or have any questions, feel free to ask! Here are some related questions you might consider:

1. How would the amount of flour change if Mrs. Carter decided to make 5 different types of cookies?
2. What if each recipe needed $1 \frac{2}{3}$ cups of flour instead?
3. How would you calculate the total ingredients needed if each type of cookie required several different measurements of ingredients?
4. What if one of the cookie types required half as much flour as the others?
5. How would you adjust the recipe if you only wanted to make one type of cookie?

Tip: When multiplying mixed numbers, it can be easier to first convert them to improper fractions. For example, $1 \frac{1}{3}$ converts to $\frac{4}{3}$, making multiplication more straightforward.