math help

What is 21/63 + 4/7?

What is 21/63 + 4/7?

Here's how we add

21
63
+
4
7

Step 1

We have to make sure the denominators are equal.

63 goes into 7 evenly, so we only need to multiply one term to get a common denominator.

Multiply 4 by 9, and get 36, then we multiply 7 by 9 and get 63.

4/7 times 9

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

21
63
+
36
63

Step 2

Since our denominators match, we can add the numerators.

21 + 36 = 57

That gives us the sum, which is

57
63

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:

57
63
÷ 3 =
19
21

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. So next you try the next prime number, which is 7...

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 11...

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 13...

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 17...

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 19...

No good. So next you try the next prime number, which is 23...

No good. 23 is larger than 19. So we're done reducing.

And we're done! Here's the final answer to 21/63 + 4/7

21
63
+
4
7
=
19
21
© 2014 Randy Tayler