How to Add Fractions: Steps and Examples

Adding fractions is a common math application that students learn in school. It can seem intimidating at first, but it can be simple with a shred of practice.

This blog article will walk you through the procedure of adding two or more fractions and adding mixed fractions. We will ,on top of that, provide examples to see how this is done. Adding fractions is crucial for various subjects as you move ahead in science and math, so be sure to master these skills early!

The Process of Adding Fractions

Adding fractions is a skill that many students have difficulty with. However, it is a relatively easy process once you understand the basic principles. There are three main steps to adding fractions: looking for a common denominator, adding the numerators, and streamlining the results. Let’s take a closer look at every one of these steps, and then we’ll look into some examples.

Step 1: Look for a Common Denominator

With these useful points, you’ll be adding fractions like a professional in no time! The first step is to look for a common denominator for the two fractions you are adding. The least common denominator is the minimum number that both fractions will split uniformly.

If the fractions you wish to add share the identical denominator, you can skip this step. If not, to determine the common denominator, you can determine the amount of the factors of each number as far as you find a common one.

For example, let’s assume we want to add the fractions 1/3 and 1/6. The smallest common denominator for these two fractions is six because both denominators will divide uniformly into that number.

Here’s a quick tip: if you are uncertain regarding this process, you can multiply both denominators, and you will [[also|subsequently80] get a common denominator, which would be 18.

Step Two: Adding the Numerators

Once you have the common denominator, the immediate step is to turn each fraction so that it has that denominator.

To convert these into an equivalent fraction with the same denominator, you will multiply both the denominator and numerator by the exact number necessary to get the common denominator.

Following the last example, 6 will become the common denominator. To change the numerators, we will multiply 1/3 by 2 to achieve 2/6, while 1/6 will stay the same.

Since both the fractions share common denominators, we can add the numerators together to achieve 3/6, a proper fraction that we will be moving forward to simplify.

Step Three: Streamlining the Answers

The final step is to simplify the fraction. As a result, it means we need to lower the fraction to its minimum terms. To obtain 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 ultimate answer of 1/2.

You follow the same process to add and subtract fractions.

Examples of How to Add Fractions

Now, let’s continue to add these two fractions:

2/4 + 6/4

By using the procedures mentioned above, you will observe that they share equivalent 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 allow it to be the same denominator as before.

2/4 + 6/4 = 8/4

Now, let’s try to simplify the fraction. We can notice that this is an improper fraction, as the numerator is higher than the denominator. This could indicate that you could simplify the fraction, but this is not possible when we deal with proper and improper fractions.

In this instance, the numerator and denominator can be divided by 4, its most common denominator. You will get a ultimate result of 2 by dividing the numerator and denominator by two.

As long as you follow these steps when dividing two or more fractions, you’ll be a expert at adding fractions in a matter of time.

Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators

The procedure will require an additional step when you add or subtract fractions with different denominators. To do these operations with two or more fractions, they must have the exact denominator.

The Steps to Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators

As we mentioned before this, to add unlike fractions, you must follow all three procedures stated above to transform these unlike denominators into equivalent fractions

Examples of How to Add Fractions with Unlike Denominators

Here, we will put more emphasis on another example by summing up the following fractions:

1/6+2/3+6/4

As you can see, the denominators are dissimilar, and the least common multiple is 12. Therefore, we multiply each fraction by a value to achieve the denominator of 12.

1/6 * 2 = 2/12

2/3 * 4 = 8/12

6/4 * 3 = 18/12

Considering that all the fractions have a common denominator, we will go forward to add the numerators:

2/12 + 8/12 + 18/12 = 28/12

We simplify the fraction by dividing the numerator and denominator by 4, finding a final result of 7/3.

Adding Mixed Numbers

We have mentioned like and unlike fractions, but now we will go through mixed fractions. These are fractions followed by whole numbers.

The Steps to Adding Mixed Numbers

To work out addition sums with mixed numbers, you must start by converting the mixed number into a fraction. Here are the steps 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 retain the denominator.

Now, you go ahead by summing 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.

First, let’s change the mixed number into a fraction. You will need to multiply the whole number by the denominator, which is 4. 1 = 4/4

Next, add the whole number represented as a fraction to the other fraction in the mixed number.

4/4 + 3/4 = 7/4

You will end up with this operation:

7/4 + 5/4

By summing the numerators with the same denominator, we will have a ultimate result of 12/4. We simplify the fraction by dividing both the numerator and denominator by 4, resulting in 3 as a conclusive answer.

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