Why do you need to find a least common denominator before you can add or subtract fractions with unlike denominator?

Question

30-05-2015
Mathematics

Answered

Why do you need to find a least common denominator before you can add or subtract fractions with unlike denominator?

Answer :

Other Questions

Which of the following photos was shown in the introduction to the unit Energy: Choices, Challenges, and Opportunities as an example of something you might thin

it won’t let me remove this for some reason

In the United States, approximately _________ percent of young people under the age of 18 live in families with income below the federal poverty level.

Mechanical integrity and economics affect turnaround timing a) trueb) false

Stereoscopic vision is a unique trait possessed by primates which gives them an advantage for living in arboreal settings. Seen in organisms with forward-facing

Just-in-Time (JIT): A key principle of JIT is to: A) Maximize inventory levels B) Minimize lead times and waste C) Focus on long-term production planning D) Inc

37. When energy is changed from one form to anotherin biological systems, there is often a loss of usableenergy from the system. Typically this energy is lost i

Discuss the significance of Kirchhoff's laws in analyzing electrical circuits. Explain how they are applied to solve circuit problems and provide an example dem

Describe the principles of electric field sensing in biomedical applications. How are electric field sensors utilized in techniques such as electrocardiography

Which of the following provides indirect evidence that humans are responsible for the increased amounts of CO₂ in the atmosphere? a. decrease in radioactivity o

IwAsSoMeGuY IwAsSoMeGuY · Answer 1 · 2015-05-30T18:26:28-04:00

Because having a common denominator means that you can perform functions on the fractions as if they were 'normal' (by that I mean integer) numbers. You can't subtract 1/8 from 1/4 because their denominators make them completely different numbers. However making the denominators of both 8, by multiplying the numerator anf denominator of the first fraction by 2, gives you 2/8 - 1/8, which can be done. As much as I'd love to give you an analogy for it, I can't think of one, so you just kind of have to take my/the teacher's word for it

AL2006 AL2006 · Answer 2 · 2015-05-30T20:59:46-04:00

Fractions can't be added or subtracted if they don't have the same denominator. It doesn't have to be the least one, but they both have to be the same one. ... I can't think of a reason "why" that's short enough to type on an Android keyboard, but I'll give you this to think about: If I asked you to add 1/2. and. 1/5, and you didn't want to bother finding a common denominator, then what WOULD you use for a denominator for the sum ? ?