1. **State the problem:** We need to find the percentage of salt by mass in a mixture made by combining 1.18 lb of salt and 3.96 lb of water. 2. **Formula:** The percentage of salt by mass is given by: $$\text{Percentage of salt} = \left(\frac{\text{mass of salt}}{\text{total mass of mixture}}\right) \times 100$$ 3. **Calculate total mass:** $$\text{total mass} = 1.18 + 3.96 = 5.14 \text{ lb}$$ 4. **Calculate percentage:** $$\text{Percentage of salt} = \left(\frac{1.18}{5.14}\right) \times 100$$ 5. **Simplify the fraction:** $$\frac{1.18}{5.14} = \frac{\cancel{1.18}}{\cancel{5.14}} \approx 0.2294$$ 6. **Multiply by 100:** $$0.2294 \times 100 = 22.94\%$$ **Final answer:** The percentage of salt by mass in the mixture is **22.94%**.