In an effort to understand how to add fractions with different denominators, we must understand what a fraction is and how to represent it.Basically, a fraction is a number that represents a part of a whole and it is written with one number on top, of the other, separated by a line.
We can be define a denominator as the bottom number in a fraction that shows the number of equal parts an item is divided into.
While adding fractions with different denominators may seem hard, however, all you need to do is convert the given fractions to like fractions to get common denominators so that it becomes easier to add them.
How to Add Fractions with Different Denominators.
Method 1:
There are three ways in which you can add fractions with unlike denominators. The first one is where you find we find the Least common multiple of the denominators and then sum up the numerators to get our answer. This is the most used method.
Example 1:
We start by finding the L.C.M of the denominators.
Method 2:
This next method is the easy way as all you need to do is cross multiply the two fractions and add the results together to get the numerator of the answer. Then multiply the two denominators together to get the denominator of the answer. You must always make sure that your fraction is in its simplest form.
Example 2:
Method 3:
This method applies when adding more than two fractions. It is almost the same as the second method with a one tweak. Lets consider the fraction below.
