M1 Maths

N2-7 Common Fraction Operations 2

 mental/written methods to add, subtract, multiply and divide common fractions

Summary Learn Solve Revise Answers

Summary
To add or subtract common fractions with the same denominator, we just add the
numerators, keeping the same denominator the same. To add or subtract common
fractions with different denominators, we first change one or both to equivalent
fractions such that they both have the same denominator, then add or subtract as
before.

To multiply common fractions, multiply the numerators to get the numerator of the
product; multiply the denominators to get the denominator of the product.

To divide by a fraction, just multiply by its reciprocal, which is the same fraction
turned upside down.

One way to perform operations on mixed numbers is to change them to improper

fractions first.

Learn
Adding and Subtracting Common Fractions
Same denominators
You already know how to add and subtract common fractions with the same
denominator.

It’s a bit of a no-brainer really. 3/7 + 2/7 = 5/7

Likewise with subtracting. 3/7 – 2/7 = 1/7

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 Practice
Q1 Calculate each of the following without a calculator. Express answers in
simplest form and, if >1, as mixed numbers.
(a) 1/5 + 2/5 (b) 4/5 – 2/5 (c) 3/4 – 1/4 (d) 2/7 + 2/7
(e) 3/10 + 2/10 (f) 3/5 – 1/5 (g) 7/8 + 5/8 (h) 2/4 + 3/4
(i) 3/8 + 5/8 (j) 7/4 – 3/4 (k) 3/8 – 1/8 (l) 7/9 + 4/9

Different denominators
When you want to add common fractions with different denominators, all you have to
do different is to first use equivalent fraction ideas to change one of both so they have
the same denominator.

For example, suppose you wanted to add 2/5 to 3/10. You can change the fifths to tenths
by multiplying top and bottom by 2. 2/5 = 4/10, so we just have to do 4/10 + 3/10, which is
7/10.

We can do this as long as one of the denominators is a multiple of the other. If not,
like if we want to add 2/3 to 4/5, we have to change both denominators.

The easiest way to do this is to multiply both fractions top and bottom by the
denominator of the other fraction. In the case of 2/3 + 4/5, we multiply 2/3 top and
bottom by 5 and multiply 4/5 top and bottom by 3. So we have 10/15 + 12/15, which can
then be added to make 27/15. This can then be cancelled down to 9/5 or put into mixed
number form as 14/5.

To add or subtract common fractions with different denominators,

first multiply both fractions top and bottom by the denominator of
the other fraction.

Sometimes it is possible to find a smaller common denominator. For instance if we

were adding or subtracting ¾ and 2/6, we could use 12 as a common denominator
rather than 24. But this is optional. 24 will work fine.

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 Practice
Q2 Calculate each of the following without a calculator. Express answers in
simplest form and, if >1, as mixed numbers.
(a) 2/5 + 1/10 (b) 5/8 – 1/2 (c) 3/4 – 1/12 (d) 2/7 + 1/14
(e) 4/5 + 2/3 (f) 4/5 – 2/3 (g) 3/4 – 1/3 (h) 2/7 + 2/5
(i) 3/10 + 2/5 (j) 1/4 – 1/5 (k) 3/8 + 5/3 (l) 2/5 + 3/4
(m) 8/5 + 2/3 (n) 6/4 + 1/5 (o) 3/8 – 1/4 (p) 7/3 + 3/4

Multiplying Common Fractions

Let’s say we wanted to multiply 2/5 by ¼. Multiplying by ¼ is the same as finding ¼ of
2/5, which is the same as dividing 2/5 by 4.

We can divide 2/5 by 4 by dividing each fifth by 4. This will make each fifth into a
twentieth.

So 2/5  ¼ = 2/20

If we wanted to multiply 2/5 by ¾, this is the same as taking ¾ of 2/5. This will be 3
times as much as ¼ of 2/5, which we know is 2/20. 3 times 2/20 is 6/20. So ¾ of 2/5 is 6/20.

Notice that in doing this we started with 2/5, then we multiplied the denominator by 4
(the denominator of ¾, and multiplied the numerator by 3 (the numerator of ¾).

Another way of looking at this is that we multiplied the numerators of 2/5 and ¾ to get
the numerator of the answer and we multiplied the denominators of 2/5 and ¾ to get
the denominator of the answer.

2 3 6
 
5 4 20

This will work when multiplying any common fractions.

To multiply common fractions, multiply the numerators to get the

numerator of the product, multiply the denominators to get the
denominator of the product.

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 Practice
Q3 Calculate each of the following without a calculator. Express answers in
simplest form and, if >1, as mixed numbers.
(a) 4/5  2/3 (b) 4/5  5/6 (c) 3/4  1/3 (d) 2/7  2/5
(e) 3/5  2/5 (f) 1/4  1/5 (g) 3/8  4/3 (h) 2/5  10/4
(i) 3/5  2/3 (j) 5/4  1/5 (k) 3/8  1/4 (l) (2/3)2
(m) (7/5)2 (n) 3/4  2 (o) 5  1/4 (p) 4/3  3

Dividing common fractions

Dividing a number by 2 is the same as taking half of the number, which is the same as
multiplying the number by ½.

½ is the reciprocal of 2. The reciprocal of a number is the number expressed as a

common fraction then turned upside down.

The reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2; the reciprocal of 3/8 is 8/3; the reciprocal of 1/6 is 6/1 which is 6;
the reciprocal of 4 is ¼ (because 4 = 4/1).

So, dividing a number by 2 is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal.

This works for dividing by fractions.

To divide by a fraction, just multiply by its reciprocal.

So, to work out 2/5  3/4 , just work out 2/5  4/3, which, of course, is 8/15.

To work out 3/8  1/3 , just work out 3/8  3/1 , which is 9/8 or 11/8.

Practice
Q4 Calculate each of the following without a calculator. Express answers in
simplest form and, if >1, as mixed numbers.
(a) 4/5  2/3 (b) 4/5  5/6 (c) 3/4  1/3 (d) 2/7  2/5
(e) 3/5  2/5 (f) 5/4  1/5 (g) 3/8  4/3 (h) 2/5  3/4
(e) 6/5  2/3 (j) 3/4  1/5 (k) 3/8  1/4 (l) 2/3  2/3
(m) 3/5  1/4 (n) 5/4  2 (o) 5  1/4 (p) 2/3  3

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Mixed Numbers
The methods above are for proper factions and improper fractions. If you need to add,
subtract, multiply of divide mixed numbers, you can just change them to improper
fractions first. This won’t always be the quickest way, but it will always work.

Practice
Q5 Calculate each of the following without a calculator. Express answers in
simplest form and, if >1, as mixed numbers.
(a) 14/5 + 2/3 (b) 24/5 – 5/6 (c) 13/4  11/3 (d) 32/7  2/5
(e) 3/5 + 42/5 (f) 5/4  11/5 (g) 33/8  4/3 (h) 22/5 – 3/4
(e) 6/5  12/3 (j) 3/4  61/5 (k) 13/8 – 11/4 (l) 22/3  22/3
(m) 33/5  1/4 (n) 13/4  2 (o) 5 – 11/4 (p) 22/3 + 4

Solve
Q51 If you drink 2¼ L of water a day and have 3 4/5 L with you, how much more would you
need to last you 4½ days?

Q52 What is (–21/5 – 2½ × –¾) ÷ (23/8 – 4)

Q53 Find three different common fractions which add to make –½.

Q54 Solve 2½x + 5¼ = 11/3.

Revise
Revision Set 1
Q61 Calculate each of the following without a calculator. Express answers in
simplest form and, if >1, as mixed numbers.
(a) 3/8 + 7/8 (b) 4/5 – 1/3 (c) 4/9  3/5 (d) 3/8  2/7
(e) 23/5 + 11/4 (f) 61/5 – 23/4 (g) 23/5  5/8 (h) 5  21/4

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 Answers
Q1 (a) 3/5 (b) 2/5 (c) ½ (d) 4/7
(e) 1/2 (f) 2/5 (g) 11/2 (h) 11/4
(i) 1 (j) 1 (k) 1/4 (l) 12/9
Q2 (a) ½ (b) 1/8 (c) 2/3 (d) 5/14
(e) 17/15 (f) 2/15 (g) 5/12 (h) 24/35
(i) 7/10 (j) 1/20 (k) 21/24 (l) 13/20
(m) 24/15 (n) 17/10 (o) 1/8 (p) 31/12
Q3 (a) 8/15 (b) 2/3 (c) ¼ (d) 4/35

(e) 6/25 (f) 1/20 (g) ½ (h) 1

(i) 2/5 (j) ¼ (k) 3/32 (l) 4/9

(m) 124/25 (n) 1½ (o) 1¼ (p) 4

Q4 (a) 11/5 (b) 24/25 (c) 21/4 (d) 5/7

(e) 1½ (f) 61/4 (g) 9/32 (h) 8/15

(i) 14/5 (j) 33/4 (k) 1½ (l) 1

(m) 22/5 (n) 5/8 (o) 20 (p) 2/9

Q5 (a) 27/15 (b) 129/30 (c) 15/16 (d) 111/35

(e) 5 (f) 11/24 (g) 41/2 (h) 14/5
(i) 18/25 (j) 413/20 (k) 1/8 (l) 1
(m) 9/10 (n) 7/8 (o) 33/4 (p) 62/3

Q51 613/40 L Q52 –1/5 Q53 Many possibilities Q54 –117/30

Q61 (a) 1¼ (b) 7/15 (c) 4/15 (d) 15/16

(e) 317/20 (f) 33/5 (g) 15/8 (h) 22/9

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