Add And Subtract Fractions With Unlike Denominators Game

Unlike denominators are a common issue that arises when adding or subtracting fractions. The denominator of a fraction represents the number of equal parts that the whole has been divided into, and the numerator represents the number of those parts that are being considered. In order to add or subtract fractions with unlike denominators, we need to first find a common denominator that both fractions share.

One way to find a common denominator is to use the least common multiple (LCM) of the two denominators. The LCM is the smallest number that is a multiple of both denominators. To find the LCM, we can list out the multiples of each denominator and find the smallest number that appears on both lists.

For example, let’s say we want to add the fractions 1/3 and 1/4. The multiples of 3 are 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and so on, and the multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and so on. The smallest number that appears on both lists is 12, so 12 is the LCM of 3 and 4.

Now that we have found a common denominator, we can convert both fractions to fractions with a denominator of 12. To convert a fraction to a fraction with a different denominator, we need to multiply the numerator and denominator by the same number. For example, to convert 1/3 to a fraction with a denominator of 12, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 4: 1/3 * 4/4 = 4/12. Similarly, to convert 1/4 to a fraction with a denominator of 12, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 3: 1/4 * 3/3 = 3/12.

Now that both fractions have a denominator of 12, we can add them together: 4/12 + 3/12 = 7/12. The result is a simplified fraction, since 7 and 12 have a common factor of 1.

Subtracting fractions with unlike denominators is similar to adding them. First, we need to find a common denominator, and then we can convert both fractions to fractions with that denominator. For example, let’s say we want to subtract the fraction 3/5 from the fraction 2/7. The LCM of 5 and 7 is 35, so we can convert both fractions to fractions with a denominator of 35. To convert 3/5 to a fraction with a denominator of 35, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 7: 3/5 * 7/7 = 21/35. Similarly, to convert 2/7 to a fraction with a denominator of 35, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 5: 2/7 * 5/5 = 10/35. Now that both fractions have a denominator of 35, we can subtract them: 21/35 – 10/35 = 11/35.

It’s important for children to understand the concept of unlike denominators and how to add and subtract fractions with them, as it will come up frequently in their math studies. To help children practice this concept, you can create a quiz or worksheet with questions that ask them to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. You can also give them word problems that involve fractions with unlike denominators, and have them solve the problems by converting the fractions to fractions with a common denominator and then performing the addition or subtraction.

Here are a few sample questions for a math quiz or worksheet on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators:

For example, let’s say we want to add the fractions 1/2 and 1/3. The denominators of these fractions, 2 and 3, are not the same, so we must find a common denominator. One way to do this is to find the least common multiple (LCM) of the two denominators. The LCM of 2 and 3 is 6, so we can use 6 as our common denominator.

To convert the fractions to have a denominator of 6, we must multiply the numerator and denominator of each fraction by a certain number. For the fraction 1/2, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 3 to get 3/6. For the fraction 1/3, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 2 to get 2/6. Now that both fractions have a denominator of 6, we can add them together to get the sum 5/6.

We can also subtract fractions with unlike denominators in a similar way. For example, let’s say we want to subtract the fraction 2/3 from the fraction 3/4. To do this, we must first find a common denominator. In this case, the LCM of 3 and 4 is 12, so we can use 12 as our common denominator. To convert the fractions to have a denominator of 12, we can multiply the numerator and denominator of each fraction by a certain number. For the fraction 2/3, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 4 to get 8/12. For the fraction 3/4, we can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 3 to get 9/12. Now that both fractions have a denominator of 12, we can subtract them to get the difference 1/12.

It’s important to note that there are other ways to find a common denominator besides finding the LCM. For example, we could have also used the product of the two denominators (2 * 3 = 6) as the common denominator in the first example, or the product of the two denominators (3 * 4 = 12) as the common denominator in the second example. It’s up to you to decide which method works best in each situation.

In summary, when adding or subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, it’s important to first find a common denominator and then convert the fractions to have this common denominator. This allows us to add or subtract the fractions and get the correct answer. Check out more math resources Here 

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