Answer: I would advise Mr. McClellan to buy the 4-pound bag of charcoal as it provides the best deal in terms of price per pound.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which bag of charcoal offers the best deal, we need to compare the prices per pound for each option.
For the 4-pound bag:
- Price: $5.00
- Price per pound: [tex]\( \frac{5.00}{4} = $1.25 \)[/tex] per pound
For the 7-pound bag:
- Price: $9.00
- Price per pound: [tex]\( \frac{9.00}{7} \approx $1.2857 \)[/tex] per pound
Comparing the prices per pound, we can see that the 4-pound bag offers a better deal at $1.25 per pound compared to the 7-pound bag at approximately $1.2857 per pound.
Therefore, I would advise Mr. McClellan to buy the 4-pound bag of charcoal as it provides the best deal in terms of price per pound.