How to Add Fractions: Steps and Examples
Adding fractions is a usual math operation that children study in school. It can look intimidating initially, but it becomes easy with a tiny bit of practice.
This blog article will take you through the steps of adding two or more fractions and adding mixed fractions. We will ,on top of that, provide examples to demonstrate how it is done. Adding fractions is crucial for various subjects as you move ahead in mathematics and science, so be sure to adopt these skills initially!
The Process of Adding Fractions
Adding fractions is an ability that numerous children have difficulty with. Nevertheless, it is a relatively hassle-free process once you master the fundamental principles. There are three main steps to adding fractions: determining a common denominator, adding the numerators, and simplifying the answer. Let’s carefully analyze every one of these steps, and then we’ll work on some examples.
Step 1: Determining a Common Denominator
With these helpful points, you’ll be adding fractions like a expert in a flash! The initial step is to determine a common denominator for the two fractions you are adding. The smallest common denominator is the lowest number that both fractions will share evenly.
If the fractions you wish to add share the equal denominator, you can skip this step. If not, to determine the common denominator, you can list out the factors of each number until you find a common one.
For example, let’s assume we wish to add the fractions 1/3 and 1/6. The lowest common denominator for these two fractions is six in view of the fact that both denominators will divide uniformly into that number.
Here’s a quick tip: if you are not sure regarding this step, you can multiply both denominators, and you will [[also|subsequently80] get a common denominator, which would be 18.
Step Two: Adding the Numerators
Now that you acquired the common denominator, the next step is to change each fraction so that it has that denominator.
To turn these into an equivalent fraction with the exact denominator, you will multiply both the denominator and numerator by the same number required to get the common denominator.
Subsequently the last example, six will become the common denominator. To change the numerators, we will multiply 1/3 by 2 to attain 2/6, while 1/6 would stay the same.
Since both the fractions share common denominators, we can add the numerators together to attain 3/6, a proper fraction that we will be moving forward to simplify.
Step Three: Streamlining the Answers
The final process is to simplify the fraction. Doing so means we are required to reduce the fraction to its lowest terms. To accomplish this, we search for the most common factor of the numerator and denominator and divide them by it. In our example, the biggest common factor of 3 and 6 is 3. When we divide both numbers by 3, we get the concluding answer of 1/2.
You go by the same procedure to add and subtract fractions.
Examples of How to Add Fractions
Now, let’s proceed to add these two fractions:
2/4 + 6/4
By using the procedures mentioned above, you will see that they share the same denominators. You are lucky, this means you can skip the first stage. At the moment, all you have to do is add the numerators and let it be the same denominator as before.
2/4 + 6/4 = 8/4
Now, let’s try to simplify the fraction. We can perceive that this is an improper fraction, as the numerator is larger than the denominator. This may suggest that you can simplify the fraction, but this is not necessarily the case with proper and improper fractions.
In this example, the numerator and denominator can be divided by 4, its most common denominator. You will get a final answer of 2 by dividing the numerator and denominator by 2.
As long as you go by these procedures when dividing two or more fractions, you’ll be a professional at adding fractions in a matter of time.
Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators
The procedure will need an additional step when you add or subtract fractions with different denominators. To do this function with two or more fractions, they must have the identical denominator.
The Steps to Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators
As we stated before this, to add unlike fractions, you must obey all three procedures stated above to convert these unlike denominators into equivalent fractions
Examples of How to Add Fractions with Unlike Denominators
At this point, we will put more emphasis on another example by adding the following fractions:
1/6+2/3+6/4
As demonstrated, the denominators are distinct, and the smallest common multiple is 12. Therefore, we multiply each fraction by a number to get the denominator of 12.
1/6 * 2 = 2/12
2/3 * 4 = 8/12
6/4 * 3 = 18/12
Once all the fractions have a common denominator, we will proceed to add the numerators:
2/12 + 8/12 + 18/12 = 28/12
We simplify the fraction by splitting the numerator and denominator by 4, finding a final result of 7/3.
Adding Mixed Numbers
We have talked about like and unlike fractions, but now we will revise through mixed fractions. These are fractions followed by whole numbers.
The Steps to Adding Mixed Numbers
To figure out addition sums with mixed numbers, you must initiate by converting the mixed number into a fraction. Here are the procedures and keep reading for an example.
Step 1
Multiply the whole number by the numerator
Step 2
Add that number to the numerator.
Step 3
Take down your result as a numerator and keep the denominator.
Now, you move forward by adding these unlike fractions as you generally would.
Examples of How to Add Mixed Numbers
As an example, we will work with 1 3/4 + 5/4.
Foremost, let’s transform the mixed number into a fraction. You are required to multiply the whole number by the denominator, which is 4. 1 = 4/4
Thereafter, add the whole number described as a fraction to the other fraction in the mixed number.
4/4 + 3/4 = 7/4
You will end up with this result:
7/4 + 5/4
By adding the numerators with the similar denominator, we will have a final result of 12/4. We simplify the fraction by dividing both the numerator and denominator by 4, resulting in 3 as a final result.
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