Basic Arithmetic : Operations with Fractions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Basic Arithmetic

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Operations With Fractions

Please read the following question thoroughly, and then choose the answer which is most correct.

If Billy has  of a gallon of water, and Bobby has  of a gallon of water, how much water do they have between the two of them?

Possible Answers:

They have  of a gallon of water.

They have  of a gallon of water. 

They have  of a gallon of water.

They have  of a gallon of water. 

They have of a gallon of water. 

Correct answer:

They have  of a gallon of water. 

Explanation:

To complete this question, you need to find the least common denominator in order to add the fractions. Cross multiply the fractions so that they are in the same terms, and then add.  To do this, simply multiply each fraction by the denominator of the other, over itself (so that the fraction equals 1).  Follow the steps below:     


Example Question #32 : Fractions

What is the sum of  and ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

When adding two fractions, the denominators must be the same. When the denominators are the same, we merely add the numerators together to see what the sum is. The trickiest part is transforming the two fractions into fractions with the same denominator.

When we transform a fraction, we are multiplying it by . For example,  is the same fraction as  because . Because , we are not changing the value of the fraction, we are merely expressing the same value in a different form. This is essential when adding fractions with different denominators.

To rewrite these fractions with the same denominator, we need to find the Least Common Denominator (LCD). In this case, the least common denominator is , as  contains both  and  as factors. Our next step is to rewrite our two fractions as fractions with denominators of .

To transform our first fraction, , into a fraction with  as its denominator, we need to multiply the fraction by .

 

To transform our second fraction, , into a fraction with  as its denominator, we need to multiply the fraction by . Therefore, our answer becomes:

 

 

Example Question #2 : How To Add Fractions

Solve:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The least common multiple of 2 and 9 is 18.

Example Question #2 : Algebra Ii

Simplify 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Find the least common denominator (LCD) and convert each fraction to the LCD and then add.  Simplify as necessary.

The result is an improper fraction because the numerator is larger than the denominator and can be simplified and converted to a mix numeral.

Example Question #4 : Adding And Subtracting Fractions

Simplify the following fraction:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Determine the factors of both the numerator and the denominator:

We notice that 3 is a factor of both 12 and 39 so we can simplify by dividing both 12 and 39 by 3.

The result is therefore,

 

Example Question #41 : Solving Functions

Find the simplified result:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Start by making both fractions into the same denominator. One option is 

Then adjust the numerators by multiplying each fraction's numerator by the other fraction's denominator: 

Then add the adjusted numerators: 

Then we simplify by dividing both numerator and denominator by 2:

which gives us the final result.

Example Question #14 : Adding And Subtracting Fractions

Add these fractions:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To solve this we need to first find common denominators. We do that by multiplying the first fraction by 7 over 7 and the second fraction by 5 over 5.

Add these fractions together, to get the final answer.

Example Question #31 : Operations With Fractions

Add these fractions:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To solve this we need to first find common denominators. We do that by multiplying the first fraction by 6 over 6 and the second fraction by 7 over 7.

Add the numerators of the fractions to get the final answer.

 

Example Question #32 : Fractions

Add these fractions:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To solve this we need to first find common denominators. We do that by multiplying the first fraction by 5 over 5 and the second fraction by 7 over 7.

Add the numerators of the fractions to get the final answer.

Example Question #32 : Operations With Fractions

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To subtract fractions, they need to share the same denominator. To find the same denominator, you will need to find the least common multiple of the two given denominators.

The least common denominator of 5 and 7 is 35. Remember, the number you multiply the denominator by to get the least common denominator you must also multiply by the numerator.

So the original equation becomes,

Now, subtract the numerators.

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