What is 1/4 + 6/12?

This is how you add

Step 1

We have to make sure the denominators are equal.

12 goes into 4 evenly, so we only need to multiply one term to get a common denominator.

Multiply 1 by 3, and get 3, then we multiply 4 by 3 and get 12.

We now have a new problem, that looks like this:

Step 2

Since our denominators match, we can add the numerators.

3 + 6 = 9

That gives us the sum, which is

Step 3

Now, do we need to simplify this fraction?

First, we attempt to divide it by 2...

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 3...

Are both the numerator and the denominator evenly divisible by 3? Yes! So we reduce it:

So far so good... let's try to divide by that number again.

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 5...

No good. 5 is larger than 3. So we're done reducing.

And we're done! Here's the final answer to 1/4 + 6/12