Addition and Subtraction
Adding and subtracting two fractions can be done in two steps:
- Equalize the denominator of the two fractions.
- Add / subtract the numerator for the two fractions.
An example of adding fractions is as follows:
| 6 | 3 | (6 x 2) + (3 x 5) | 12 + 15 | 27 | ||||
| + | = | = | = | |||||
| 5 | 2 | 5 x 2 | 10 | 10 |
Multiplication
It is easy to multiply two fractions by multiplying one fraction’s numerator by another and multiplying one fraction’s denominator by another. An example of multiplying fractions is as follows:
| 4 | 2 | (4 x 2) | 8 | |||
| x | = | = | ||||
| 6 | 3 | (6 x 3) | 18 |
Division
The method of dividing two fractions is similar to the method of multiplying two fractions, except that the multiplication you do is cross multiplication. An example of dividing fractions is as follows:
| 4 | 2 | (4 x 3) | 12 | |||
| ÷ | = | = | ||||
| 6 | 3 | (6 x 2) | 12 |