Answer:
How to Add Unlike Fractions (dissimilar fractions) Step-by-step.
To make it easy, I divided the procedure on how to add or subtract unlike fractions into two (2) basic steps as follows:
adding-unlike-fraction-step-1
Step 1. Change all unlike fractions (dissimilar fractions) into like fractions (similar fractions).
In order to this, we need to change the denominators of the fractions into a common denominator. Remember that similar fractions has the same or common or like denominators.
The common denominator must be a multiple of all different denominators. Meaning to say, the common denominator can be divided by all the denominators without any remainder.
There are infinite numbers of common denominator for any fractions, but we will consider only the smallest or the lowest one. This is what do we called the least common denominator or LCD.
Finally, obtain the equivalent fractions of those fractions using the common denominator obtained.
adding-unlike-fraction-step-2
Step 2. Proceed with the same procedure as adding or subtracting similar fractions.
We will follow the same procedure of adding or subtracting similar fractions as follows:
Add or subtract the numerators.
Copy the denominators.
Convert the final answer in the lowest term.
First step is to find the least common denominator of 1/4 and 1/2. It is the same as finding the least common multiple of 4 and 2.
Our least common denominator is 4 as shown above. The next to do next is to put 4 as our new denominators.
Then, we will find the equivalent fractions of our original fractions with 4 as the denominator.
1/4 will not change. 4 is already the denominator.
The equivalent fraction of 1/2 with 4 as the denominator is 2/4.
Now, we have 1/4 plus 2/4. We can easily add this now because they are similar fractions.
1/4 plus 2/4 is equal to 3/4. We just simply add the numerators.
Since our sum which is equal to 3/4 is already in the lowest term, 3/4 is the final answer.
Subtracting Unlike Fractions – Examples
Example No.6 Subtract 3/4 from 4/5.
subtracting-unlike-fractions-example-6
What will be our least common denominator? The least common multiple of 5 and 4 is 20. Thus, 20 is our least common denominator.
The equivalent fraction of 4/5 with 20 as the denominator is 16/20.
The equivalent fraction of 3/4 with 20 as the denominator is 15/20.
Since we already have similar fractions, perform the subtraction.
16/20 minus 15/20 is equal to 1/20.
1/20 is in the lowest term.
Thus, 1/20 is the final answer.
