math help

What is 4/4 + 1/2?

What is 4/4 + 1/2?

Here's how we add

4
4
+
1
2

Step 1

We have to make sure the denominators are equal.

4 goes into 2 evenly, so we only need to multiply one term to get a common denominator.

Multiply 1 by 2, and get 2, then we multiply 2 by 2 and get 4.

1/2 times 2

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

4
4
+
2
4

Step 2

Since our denominators match, we can add the numerators.

4 + 2 = 6

Answer:

6
4

Step 3

Now, do we need to simplify this fraction?

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

Are both the numerator and the denominator evenly divisible by 2? Yes! So we reduce it:

6
4
÷ 2 =
3
2

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 3...

No good. 3 is larger than 2. So we're done reducing.

And we're done! Here's the final answer to 4/4 + 1/2

4
4
+
1
2
=
3
2
© 2014 Randy Tayler