Alex buys 2 1/2 pounds of grapes. he buys 1 1/4 times as many pounds of apples as grapes. how many pounds of apples does he buy?

Given:
grapes = 2 1/2 pounds
apples = 1 1/4 times as many pounds as grapes.

For easier computation, let us convert these fractions into numbers with decimal places.

2 1/2 pounds = 2.50 pounds
1 1/4 times = 1.25

Apples = 2.50 pounds * 1.25 = 3.125 pounds of apples.

Or we still use fractions. We need to convert the mixed fractions into improper fractions.

2 1/2 = 5/2
1 1/4 = 5/4

5/2 * 5/4 = 5*5 / 2*4 = 25/8 is simplified to 3 1/8 pounds