Fractions

We have encountered factions on multiple occasions during this semester. In this

lesson we will focus exclusively on fractions and their relationship to addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentials.
Addition & Subtraction of Fractions
Approach
1. Identify the type of fraction and the operation.
a. The fractions can either be a proper fraction, improper fraction, or a
mixed number.
b. The operation will either be addition, subtraction, division,
multiplication or exponential/radicals.
2. Once the operation has been identified as addition or subtraction we must
consider a number of factors
a. If one or both of the fractions are proper fractions or improper fractions
and the denominator is the same:
i. We simply add or subtract the numerators of the two fractions.
The answer after performing this operation is the new numerator
and the denominator is the original value.
ii. We now perform one final check to ensure the fractions
are written in their simplest form. Also, if the fraction is
an improper fraction it should be converted into a mixed
number.
b. If one or both of the fractions are proper fractions or improper fractions
and the two fractions have different denominators:
i. We identify the lowest common multiple of the two denominators:
1. This should be done by making a list of the first 4 multiples
of both numbers and making additions to the list until a
common multiple is found in the list. As a last resort you
should multiply the two denominators together; this
value will always be a common factor however it
may not be the lowest common factor.
ii. Once the common multiple is identified you need to determine the
number necessary to multiply each denominator by to obtain this
value.
1. You will need to multiply both the numerator and
denominator of this fraction by the value necessary
to change the value of this denominator to the

Page 1 of 20
 common factor. By multiplying both the numerator
and denominator of a fraction by the same number
we are multiplying the fraction by 1.
iii. Once the multiplication has been performed you will observe that
the denominators are the same value. We can now perform the
following steps:
1. We simply add or subtract the numerators of the two
fractions. The answer after performing this operation is the
new numerator and the denominator is the original value.
iv. We now perform one final check to ensure the fractions
are written in their simplest form. Also, if the fraction is
an improper fraction it should be converted into a mixed
number.
c. If one or both of the fractions are mixed numbers first they must be
transformed into an improper fraction. While it may be true that you
can perform addition or subtraction without transforming the fraction it
tends to make subtraction difficult at times.
i. Once the conversion is complete we determine if the
denominators are the same or different and utilize the methods
previously discussed in part a, and b.

Page 2 of 20
 Example 1
𝟒 𝟐
+
𝟖 𝟖
Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is addition (+)

Step 2
Both fractions are proper fractions and they both have a denominator of 8.
Perform addition on the numerator 4 + 2 = 6
The new numerator after performing the operation is 6.
The denominator remains the same 8.

𝟒 𝟐 𝟔
+ =
𝟖 𝟖 𝟖

𝟔÷𝟐 𝟑
=
𝟖÷𝟐 𝟒

Page 3 of 20
 Example 2
𝟒 𝟐
−
𝟖 𝟖
Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is subtraction (-)

Step 2
Both fractions are proper fractions and they both have a denominator of 8.
Perform subtraction on the numerator 4 - 2 = 2
The new numerator after performing the operation is 6.
The denominator remains the same 8.

𝟒 𝟐 𝟐
− =
𝟖 𝟖 𝟖

𝟐÷𝟐 𝟏
=
𝟖÷𝟐 𝟒

Page 4 of 20
 Example 3
𝟑 𝟏
+
𝟒 𝟔
Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is addition (+)

Step 2
Both fractions are proper fractions and but the denominators are different.
We make a list of the first 4 multiples of the two denominators:
4: 4, 8, 12, 16
6: 6, 12, 18, 24

When we examine the list, you should notice 12 is the first and in this case the only
number that appears in both list. You always take the first number to appear in both
list. You should have also noticed the list always starts with the number itself.
The lowest/least common factor of 4 & 6 is 12
We need to also identify the integer/whole number needed when performing
multiplication to change 4 into 12 and 6 into 12. The number required can be different
for the two numbers.
4 x ___ = 12 the number required is 3
6 x ___ = 12 the number required is 2
We now need to multiply both the numerator and denominator by this number
𝟑𝒙𝟑 𝟗
=
𝟒𝒙𝟑 𝟏𝟐
𝟏𝒙𝟐 𝟐
=
𝟔𝒙𝟐 𝟏𝟐

𝟗 𝟐 𝟏𝟏
The equation is rewritten as: + =
𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟐

Page 5 of 20
 Example 4
𝟑 𝟏
−
𝟒 𝟔
Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is subtraction (-)

Step 2
Both fractions are proper fractions and but the denominators are different.
We make a list of the first 4 multiples of the two denominators:
4: 4, 8, 12, 16
6: 6, 12, 18, 24

When we examine the list, you should notice 12 is the first and in this case the only
number that appears in both list. You always take the first number to appear in both
list. You should have also noticed the list always starts with the number itself.
The lowest/least common factor of 4 & 6 is 12
We need to also identify the integer/whole number needed when performing
multiplication to change 4 into 12 and 6 into 12. The number required can be different
for the two numbers.
4 x ___ = 12 the number required is 3
6 x ___ = 12 the number required is 2
We now need to multiply both the numerator and denominator by this number
𝟑𝒙𝟑 𝟗
=
𝟒𝒙𝟑 𝟏𝟐
𝟏𝒙𝟐 𝟐
=
𝟔𝒙𝟐 𝟏𝟐

𝟗 𝟐 𝟕
The equation is rewritten as: − =
𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟐

Page 6 of 20
 Example 5
𝟕 𝟓
+
𝟓 𝟐

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is addition (+)
Step 2
Both fractions are improper fractions and the denominators are different.
We make a list of the first 4 multiples of the two denominators:
5: 5, 10, 15, 20
2: 2, 4, 6, 8
When we examine the list, you should notice none of the numbers are present in both
list. We will continue adding values to the list with the smaller number until it
exceeds the highest number on the other list or a common multiple appears. You
should have also noticed the list always starts with the number itself.
5: 5, 10, 15, 20
2: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
The lowest/least common factor of 5 & 2 is 10
We need to also identify the integer/whole number needed when performing
multiplication to change 4 into 12 and 6 into 12. The number required can be different
for the two numbers.
5 x ___ = 10 the number required is 2 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
2 x ___ = 10 the number required is 5 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
We now need to multiply both the numerator and denominator by this number
𝟕𝒙𝟐 𝟏𝟒 𝟓𝒙𝟓 𝟐𝟓
= =
𝟓𝒙𝟐 𝟏𝟎 𝟐𝒙𝟓 𝟏𝟎
𝟏𝟒 𝟐𝟓 𝟑𝟗
The equation is rewritten as: + = this answer is mixed therefore
𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎
𝟑𝟗 𝟗
it is rewritten as a mixed number = 3𝟏𝟎
𝟏𝟎

Page 7 of 20
 Example 6
𝟕 𝟓
−
𝟓 𝟐

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is subtraction (-)
Step 2
Both fractions are improper fractions and the denominators are different.
We make a list of the first 4 multiples of the two denominators:
5: 5, 10, 15, 20
2: 2, 4, 6, 8
When we examine the list, you should notice none of the numbers are present in both
list. We will continue adding values to the list with the smaller number until it
exceeds the highest number on the other list or a common multiple appears. You
should have also noticed the list always starts with the number itself.
5: 5, 10, 15, 20
2: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
The lowest/least common factor of 5 & 2 is 10
We need to also identify the integer/whole number needed when performing
multiplication to change 4 into 12 and 6 into 12. The number required can be different
for the two numbers.
5 x ___ = 10 the number required is 2 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
2 x ___ = 10 the number required is 5 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
We now need to multiply both the numerator and denominator by this number
𝟕𝒙𝟐 𝟏𝟒 𝟓𝒙𝟓 𝟐𝟓
= =
𝟓𝒙𝟐 𝟏𝟎 𝟐𝒙𝟓 𝟏𝟎
𝟏𝟒 𝟐𝟓 −𝟏𝟏
The equation is rewritten as: − = this answer is mixed therefore
𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎
−𝟏𝟏 𝟏
it is rewritten as a mixed number = -1𝟏𝟎
𝟏𝟎

Page 8 of 20
 Example 7
𝟏 𝟑
𝟗 + 𝟓
𝟐 𝟒

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are mixed numbers and the operation is addition (+)
Convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions
𝟏 𝟗 𝒙 𝟐+𝟏 𝟏𝟗 𝟑 𝟓 𝒙 𝟒+𝟑 𝟐𝟑
𝟗 = = 𝟓 = =
𝟐 𝟐 𝟐 𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝟏𝟗 𝟐𝟑
+
𝟐 𝟒

Step 2
Both fractions are now improper fractions and the denominators are different.
We make a list of the first 4 multiples of the two denominators:
4: 4, 8, 12, 16
2: 2, 4, 6, 8
When we examine the list, you should notice 4 is the first number but not only number
that appears in both list. You always take the first number to appear in both list. You
should have also noticed the list always starts with the number itself.
The lowest/least common factor of 4 & 2 is 4
We need to also identify the integer/whole number needed when performing
multiplication to change 4 into 4 and 2 into 4. The number required can be different
for the two numbers.
4 x ___ = 4 the number required is 1 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
2 x ___ = 4 the number required is 2 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
We now need to multiply both the numerator and denominator by this number
𝟏𝟗 𝒙 𝟐 𝟑𝟔 𝟐𝟑 𝒙 𝟏 𝟐𝟑
= =
𝟐𝒙𝟐 𝟒 𝟒𝒙𝟏 𝟒

Page 9 of 20
 𝟑𝟔 𝟐𝟑 𝟓𝟗
The equation is rewritten as: + = this answer is mixed therefore
𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝟓𝟗 𝟑
it is rewritten as a mixed number = 16𝟒
𝟒

Page 10 of 20
 Example 8
𝟏 𝟑
𝟗 − 𝟓
𝟐 𝟒

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are mixed numbers and the operation is subtraction (-)
Convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions
𝟏 𝟗 𝒙 𝟐+𝟏 𝟏𝟗 𝟑 𝟓 𝒙 𝟒+𝟑 𝟐𝟑
𝟗 = = 𝟓 = =
𝟐 𝟐 𝟐 𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝟏𝟗 𝟐𝟑
−
𝟐 𝟒

Step 2
Both fractions are now improper fractions and the denominators are different.
We make a list of the first 4 multiples of the two denominators:
4: 4, 8, 12, 16
2: 2, 4, 6, 8
When we examine the list, you should notice 4 is the first number but not only number
that appears in both list. You always take the first number to appear in both list. You
should have also noticed the list always starts with the number itself.
The lowest/least common factor of 4 & 2 is 4
We need to also identify the integer/whole number needed when performing
multiplication to change 4 into 4 and 2 into 4. The number required can be different
for the two numbers.
4 x ___ = 4 the number required is 1 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
2 x ___ = 4 the number required is 2 (it is also the position it appears in the list
if done correctly)
We now need to multiply both the numerator and denominator by this number
𝟏𝟗 𝒙 𝟐 𝟑𝟔 𝟐𝟑 𝒙 𝟏 𝟐𝟑
= =
𝟐𝒙𝟐 𝟒 𝟒𝒙𝟏 𝟒

Page 11 of 20
 𝟑𝟔 𝟐𝟑 𝟏𝟑
The equation is rewritten as: − = this answer is mixed therefore
𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝟏𝟑 𝟏
it is rewritten as a mixed number = 3𝟒
𝟒

Page 12 of 20
Multiplication of Fractions
Approach
1. Identify the type of fraction and the operation.
a. The fractions can either be a proper fraction, improper fraction, or a
mixed number.
b. The operation will either be addition, subtraction, division,
multiplication or exponential/radicals.
2. Once the operation has been identified as multiplication we must consider a
number of factors
a. If one or both of the fractions are proper fractions or improper fractions
we compare the 2 numerator numbers to the two denominator numbers:
i. If one of the numerators and denominators have a common factor
divide the two numbers by this factor. You need to continue
checking the numerators and denominators to ensure they are in
their lowest form then perform the multiplication operation.
ii. After multiplying the numerator by the numerator and
denominator by the denominator, perform one final check
to ensure your answer is in its simplest form, and the
numerator and denominator have no common factors with
the exception of 1.
b. If one or both of the fractions are mixed numbers first they must be
transformed into an improper fraction.
i. Once the conversion is complete we utilize the methods previously
discussed in part a.

Page 13 of 20
 Example 1
𝟒 𝟐
𝑿
𝟖 𝟑
Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is multiplication (X)

Step 2
Compare the numerators to the denominators. The numerator has the following
factors:
4: 1, 2, 4
2: 1, 2
The denominators have the following factors:
8: 1, 2, 4, 8
3: 1, 3
If the numerators and the denominators have any common factors you can reduce the
value of that numerator and denominator by utilizing the factor. If a factor appears
in multiple list you can choose which numerator and denominator to simplify.
𝟒÷𝟒 𝟐
𝑿
𝟖÷𝟒 𝟑
A final check is performed to ensure that the equations fraction is in their simplest
form
𝟏 𝟐 𝟐
𝑿 =
𝟐 𝟑 𝟔

Page 14 of 20
 Example 2
𝟕 𝟓
𝑿
𝟓 𝟐

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are improper fractions and the operation is multiplication (X)

Step 2
Compare the numerators to the denominators. The numerator has the following
factors:
7: 1, 7 (Prime Number)
5: 1, 5 (Prime Number)
The denominators have the following factors:
5: 1, 5 (Prime Number)
2: 1, 2 (Prime Number)
If the numerators and the denominators have any common factors you can reduce the
value of that numerator and denominator by utilizing the factor. If a factor appears
in multiple list you can choose which numerator and denominator to simplify.
𝟕 𝟓÷𝟓
𝑿
𝟓÷𝟓 𝟐
A final check is performed to ensure that the equations fraction is in their simplest
form
𝟕 𝟏 𝟕
𝑿 =
𝟏 𝟐 𝟐
The answer is an improper fraction and should be converted into a mix
number. A final check of the fraction part must be done to ensure it is in its
simplest form.
𝟕 𝟏
=𝟑
𝟐 𝟐

Page 15 of 20
 Example 3
𝟏 𝟑
𝟗 𝑿 𝟓
𝟕 𝟒

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are mixed numbers and the operation is multiplication (X)
Convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions
𝟏 𝟗 𝒙 𝟕+𝟏 𝟔𝟒 𝟑 𝟓 𝒙 𝟒+𝟑 𝟐𝟑
𝟗 = = 𝟓 = =
𝟕 𝟕 𝟕 𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝟔𝟒 𝟐𝟑
𝑿
𝟕 𝟒

Step 2
Compare the numerators to the denominators. The numerator has the following
factors:
64: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32
7: 1, 7 (Prime Number)
The denominators have the following factors:
23: 1, 23 (Prime Number)
4: 1, 2, 4
If the numerators and the denominators have any common factors you can reduce the
value of that numerator and denominator by utilizing the factor. If a factor appears
in multiple list you can choose which numerator and denominator to simplify.
𝟔𝟒 ÷ 𝟒 𝟐𝟑
𝑿
𝟕 𝟒 ÷𝟒
A final check is performed to ensure that the equations fraction is in their simplest
form
𝟏𝟔 𝟐𝟑 𝟑𝟔𝟖
𝑿 =
𝟕 𝟏 𝟕
The answer is an improper fraction and should be converted into a mix number. A
final check of the fraction part must be done to ensure it is in its simplest form.
𝟑𝟔𝟖 𝟒
= 𝟓𝟐
𝟕 𝟕
Page 16 of 20
Division of Fractions
Approach
1. Identify the type of fraction and the operation.
a. The fractions can either be a proper fraction, improper fraction, or a
mixed number.
b. The operation will either be addition, subtraction, division,
multiplication or exponential/radicals.
2. Once the operation has been identified as division we must consider a number
of factors
a. Division is similar to multiplication with one additional step.
When the operation is division in order to perform work on it
we need to first change the operation from division to
multiplication and change (the second fraction)/ (the fraction
following the division signs); the numerator of this fraction is
now the denominator and the denominator now becomes the
numerator. This is more commonly known as inversing the
fraction. Once this is completed with simply follow the approach
outlined for multiplication
b. If one or both of the fractions are proper fractions or improper fractions
we compare the 2 numerator numbers to the two denominator numbers:
i. If one of the numerators and denominators have a common factor
divide the two numbers by this factor. You need to continue
checking the numerators and denominators to ensure they are in
their lowest form then perform the multiplication operation.
ii. After multiplying the numerator by the numerator and
denominator by the denominator, perform one final check
to ensure your answer is in its simplest form, and the
numerator and denominator have no common factors with
the exception of 1. The reason we are able to perform this
conversion is mathematically division is the inverse
operation of multiplication.
c. If one or both of the fractions are mixed numbers first they must be
transformed into an improper fraction.
i. Once the conversion is complete we utilize the methods previously
discussed in part a, and b.

Page 17 of 20
 Example 1
𝟒 𝟐
÷
𝟖 𝟑
Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are proper fractions and the operation is division (÷)
Step 2

𝟒 𝟐 𝟒 𝟑
÷ = 𝑿
𝟖 𝟑 𝟖 𝟐

Step 3
Compare the numerators to the denominators. The numerator has the following
factors:
4: 1, 2, 4
3: 1, 3
The denominators have the following factors:
8: 1, 2, 4, 8
2: 1, 2
If the numerators and the denominators have any common factors you can reduce the
value of that numerator and denominator by utilizing the factor. If a factor appears
in multiple list you can choose which numerator and denominator to simplify.
𝟒÷𝟒 𝟑
𝑿
𝟖÷𝟒 𝟐
A final check is performed to ensure that the equations fraction is in their simplest
form
𝟏 𝟑 𝟑
𝑿 =
𝟐 𝟐 𝟒

Page 18 of 20
 Example 2
𝟕 𝟓
÷
𝟓 𝟐

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are improper fractions and the operation is division (÷)
Step 2

𝟕 𝟓 𝟕 𝟐
÷ = 𝑿
𝟓 𝟐 𝟓 𝟓

Step 3
Compare the numerators to the denominators. The numerator has the following
factors:
7: 1, 7 (Prime Number)
2: 1, 2 (Prime Number)
The denominators have the following factors:
5: 1, 5 (Prime Number)
If the numerators and the denominators have any common factors you can reduce the
value of that numerator and denominator by utilizing the factor. If a factor appears
in multiple list you can choose which numerator and denominator to simplify. No
numerator factors have appeared in the denominator factor list except for 1. The
fractions are in their lowest form so we simply perform multiplication
𝟕 𝟐 𝟏𝟒
𝑿 =
𝟓 𝟓 𝟐𝟓
A final check is performed to ensure that the equations fraction is in their simplest
form
𝟏𝟒
𝟐𝟓

Page 19 of 20
 Example 3
𝟑 𝟑
𝟔 ÷ 𝟑
𝟕 𝟒

Step 1
Identify the type of fraction and operation
Both fractions are mixed numbers and the operation is division (÷)
Convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions
𝟑 𝟔 𝒙 𝟕+𝟑 𝟒𝟓 𝟑 𝟓𝟑𝒙 𝟒+𝟑 𝟏𝟓
𝟔 = = 𝟑 = =
𝟕 𝟕 𝟕 𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝟒𝟓 𝟏𝟓 𝟒𝟓 𝟒
÷ = 𝑿
𝟕 𝟒 𝟕 𝟏𝟓

Step 2
Compare the numerators to the denominators. The numerator has the following
factors:
45: 1, 3, 5, 9, 15, 45
4: 1, 2, 4
The denominators have the following factors:
7: 1, 7 (Prime Number)
15: 1, 3, 5, 15
If the numerators and the denominators have any common factors you can reduce the
value of that numerator and denominator by utilizing the factor. If a factor appears
in multiple list you can choose which numerator and denominator to simplify.
𝟒𝟓 ÷ 𝟏𝟓 𝟒
𝑿
𝟕 𝟏𝟓 ÷ 𝟏𝟓
A final check is performed to ensure that the equations fraction is in their simplest
form
𝟑 𝟒 𝟏𝟐
𝑿 =
𝟕 𝟏 𝟕
The answer is an improper fraction and should be converted into a mix number. A
final check of the fraction part must be done to ensure it is in its simplest form.
𝟏𝟐 𝟓
=𝟏
𝟕 𝟕

Page 20 of 20