Q&A for How to Add Fractions

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  • Question
    5/8+1/8 +3/8 + 7/8, and then I added everything and came up with 16/8. Is that wrong?
    Orangejews
    Community Answer
    Looks right to me. Maybe it expected you to then simplify 16/8 to 2, in which case your answer still isn't wrong, merely incomplete.
  • Question
    What is 1/2 * 1/2?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You're really asking, "What is half of a half?" It's a quarter. Mathematically it's done this way: ½ x ½ = ¼, where you multiply the two numerators together (1 x 1 = 1), and you multiply the two denominators together (2 x 2 = 4).
  • Question
    How to add if the numerator ends up bigger than the denominator?
    Community Answer
    You just add normally. If the numerator ends up bigger than the denominator, you can either leave it as is or convert the fraction to a mixed number , depending on the instructions you received.
  • Question
    What do I add 23/4 to make 6?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Change 6 to 24/4. Then subtract 23/4 from 24/4 to get your answer, 1/4.
  • Question
    How do you subtract fractions with unlike denominators?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You have to convert one or both fractions to make their denominators equal, the same way you do with addition. Then just subtract the numerators.
  • Question
    How do I add a fraction with a whole number?
    Community Answer
    You simply merge the two into a mixed number. For example, 6 + 5/7 = 6 5/7.
  • Question
    Why do we add fractions the way we do?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Adding fractions with unlike denominators would be like adding apples and oranges. Adding 1/4 and 2/3 is similar to trying to add one apple and two oranges. You would have three... but three what? If you called each apple and each orange a "piece of fruit," then you could add them together. So if we convert both 1/4 and 2/3 into twelfths, you could add them together as twelfths. 1/4 is 3/12, and 2/3 is 8/12. Adding them together gives us 11/12.
  • Question
    How do I add 12/10 to 8/100?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Convert 12/10 to a fraction with a denominator of 100, then add the two numerators to arrive at a new numerator with a denominator of 100.
  • Question
    How do you multiply fractions?
    Community Answer
    Multiply the numerators and the answer is the new numerator and then multiply the denominators and the answer is the new denominator.
  • Question
    What is harmonic mean of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    To find the harmonic mean, add the reciprocals of the numbers being considered, divide by the number of numbers, then find the reciprocal of that quotient.
  • Question
    How do I add fractions to whole numbers?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Before adding (or subtracting), you have to change the whole number to a fraction with the same denominator as the fraction(s) you want to add to (or subtract from) it.
  • Question
    How do I multiply fractions if one of them is negative?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Multiply them as you would multiply positive fractions. Then if one (or any odd number) of the fractions is negative, the product is negative. If two (or any even number) of the fractions are negative, the product is positive.
  • Question
    How do I add 7/8+3/4?
    Jacqueline Schenk
    Community Answer
    Make the denominators the same for it to be easy, and since 8 is a multiple of 4, you multiply 3/4 by 2 = 6/8. Now simply add 7/8 and 6/8 = 13/8. 13 is a prime number, so this is the final answer.
  • Question
    How do you add mixed fractions (mixed numbers)?
    Community Answer
    First convert each mixed number to an improper fraction. Then (if necessary) convert each improper fraction to an equivalent fraction with a common denominator (that is, the same denominator as the other fraction has). Now add the numerators together, keeping the same common denominator. Finally, reduce the final fraction if necessary and convert it to a mixed number if desired. For example, 2 1/3 + 4 5/6 = 7/3 + 29/6 = 14/6 + 29/6 = 43/6. This fraction will not reduce, but it can be converted to 7 1/6.
  • Question
    How do you subtract a fraction from a whole number?
    Community Answer
    Express the whole number as a fraction (call it fraction A) with the same denominator as the fraction you're subtracting (call that fraction B). Subtract fraction B's numerator from fraction A's numerator, keeping the same denominator. Reduce the final fraction if possible, and express it as a mixed number if desired. For example, 5 - (3/8) = 40/8 - 3/8 = 37/8 = 4 5/8.
  • Question
    What is 17/16 + 35/24?
    Community Answer
    First find the lowest common denominator. (See Find the Least Common Denominator . ) It is 48. So 17/16 + 35/24 = 51/48 + 70/48 = 121/48 = 2 25/48.
  • Question
    How do you multiply one mixed number by another?
    Community Answer
    Convert each mixed number to an improper fraction. Then multiply as you would any two fractions. For example, if you want to multiply 2½ by 3¼, you would first convert 2½ to 5/2 and 3¼ to 13/4. Then multiply: (5/2)(13/4) = 65/8 = 8 1/8. For further explanation, see Multiply Mixed Numbers .
  • Question
    What is 3/4 +&- 8 / 2?
    Community Answer
    (3/4) + (8/2) = (3/4) + (16/4) = 19/4. (3/4) - (8/2) = (3/4) - 16/4) = -13/4.
  • Question
    How do you multiply one mixed number by another?
    Community Answer
    First convert each mixed number to an improper fraction. Then multiply one fraction by the other: multiply the numerators together to get a new numerator, and multiply the denominators together to get a new denominator. The product will be an improper fraction, which you can leave as is or convert to a mixed number. You can also use this same process to multiply more than two mixed numbers together.
  • Question
    What is the answer of 3 4/2 + 2 3/4=?
    Community Answer
    The first term, 3 4/2, equals 3 + 2 = 5. 5 + 2 3/4 = 7 3/4.
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