Question: A construction company bought $0.5$ tons of gravel and $0.872$ tons of sand. How many tons of material did the company buy in all?

1. **State the problem:** We need to find the total tons of material bought by the company by adding the tons of gravel and sand. 2. **Formula:** Total material = Tons of gravel + Tons of sand 3. **Substitute the values:** Total material = $0.5 + 0.872$ 4. **Add the numbers:** $$0.5 + 0.872 = 1.372$$ 5. **Interpretation:** The company bought a total of $1.372$ tons of material. **Final answer:** $1.372$ tons