Q&A for How to Add Fractions

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.

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).

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.

Change 6 to 24/4. Then subtract 23/4 from 24/4 to get your answer, 1/4.

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.

You simply merge the two into a mixed number. For example, 6 + 5/7 = 6 5/7.

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.

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.

Multiply the numerators and the answer is the new numerator and then multiply the denominators and the answer is the new denominator.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

(3/4) + (8/2) = (3/4) + (16/4) = 19/4. (3/4) - (8/2) = (3/4) - 16/4) = -13/4.

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.