Final answer:
The total number of proper subsets of a set containing 5 elements is 32.
Step-by-step explanation:
The total number of proper subsets of a set containing 5 elements can be calculated using the formula 2^n, where n is the number of elements in the set.
In this case, since the set contains 5 elements, the total number of proper subsets would be 2⁵ = 32.