To find the total number of different desserts you could have, we need to consider all the possible combinations of flavors, types of containers, and toppings.

Breakdown of the problem:

1. Ice cream flavors: There are 944 different flavors.
2. Containers: You can choose from 3 different options (cone, cup, or sundae).
3. Toppings: You can choose from 12 different toppings, and toppings can either be included or excluded (since you can have no toppings, some, or all of them).

Each topping is an independent choice (either you add it or you don't), so the number of combinations of toppings is $2^{12}$ because for each topping, there are 2 possibilities: include it or don't include it.

Calculation:

• Number of choices for flavors: 944
• Number of choices for containers: 3
• Number of choices for toppings: $2^{12}$

So the total number of different desserts is: $\text{Total desserts} = 944 \times 3 \times 2^{12}$ $\text{Total desserts} = 944 \times 3 \times 4096$ $\text{Total desserts} = 11,601,792$

Thus, the total number of different desserts you could have is 11,601,792.

Would you like more details or have any questions?

Here are some related questions you might find interesting:

1. What if there were only 5 toppings instead of 12? How many different desserts could you have?
2. How does the number of different desserts change if you could only choose up to 3 toppings?
3. What if you had to choose exactly one topping for each dessert? How many different options would you have then?
4. How many different desserts could you have if one topping option could only be chosen once per container type?
5. What would happen if you could choose multiple flavors for a single dessert?

Tip: When dealing with combinations, consider how many independent choices you're making for each variable involved in the problem!