Adding and Subtracting Fractions

Cheryl needs [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] cup of water and [tex]\(\frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] cup of oil for her pancake mix. How much liquid is this in total?



Answer :

Let's solve the problem step-by-step.

1. Identify Individual Quantities:
- Cheryl needs [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] cup of water.
- Cheryl also needs [tex]\(\frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] cup of oil.

2. Add the Fractions:

To find the total amount of liquid, we need to add the two fractions:

[tex]\[ \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} \][/tex]

3. Common Denominator:

Before adding the fractions, we need to convert them to have a common denominator. The denominators here are 2 and 4. The least common denominator (LCD) of 2 and 4 is 4.

- Convert [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] to a fraction with a denominator of 4:

[tex]\[ \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1 \times 2}{2 \times 2} = \frac{2}{4} \][/tex]

- The fraction [tex]\(\frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] already has the denominator of 4.

4. Add Converted Fractions:

Now we can add the fractions with a common denominator:

[tex]\[ \frac{2}{4} + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{2 + 1}{4} = \frac{3}{4} \][/tex]

5. Convert to Decimal (Optional):

The fraction [tex]\(\frac{3}{4}\)[/tex] can be converted to a decimal if needed. [tex]\(\frac{3}{4} = 0.75\)[/tex]

6. Conclusion:

Cheryl needs a total of [tex]\(\frac{3}{4}\)[/tex] cups of liquid for her pancake mix, which is equivalent to 0.75 cups in decimal form.