


Now then, at long last we can add our fractions…ġ/5 + 1/6 + 1/15 = 6/30 + 5/30 + 2/30 = 13/30 Pulling Everything Together Now we repeat the process for 1/6 and 1/15 New Numerator = (LCD ÷ Denominator) x Numerator We then multiple that 6 times the numerator “1” which gives us the new numerator of 6.įinally, we re-write the equivalent fraction using the 30 as our denominator, therefore our equivalent fraction is 6/30. So, if we write 1/5 as an equivalent fraction using 30 as our denominator, we have 30 divided by the denominator “5”, which equals 6. Re-write the fraction using the least common denominator as the denominator.Multiple the answer times the numerator of the fraction.

Divide the least common denominator by the denominator of the fraction.The Rule to re-write a fraction as an equivalent fraction using the least common denominator says… This is going to get a little detailed, so hang in there! Re-write Each Fraction As An Equivalent Fraction Step #2 for adding fractions with different denominators says – “Re-write each equivalent fraction using the least common denominator as the denominator.” So let’s do it! Now let’s make the tricky part, really easy - convert each fraction to an equivalent fraction using the newly found least common denominator, which is 30. But when the numbers get bigger, Method #2 is the ONLY way to go. The reason we might want to use the different methods is because Method #1 works great for small numbers. Therefore, the least common denominator of 1/5, 1/6 and 1/15 is 30.Īs you can see, both methods end up with the same results. Step #4 – The least common denominator is the product of all the prime numbers written down.Step #3 – Since we now know the count of each prime number, you simply – write down that prime number as many times as you countedfor it in step #2.Here are the numbers… 2, 3, 5.Step #2 – For each prime number, take the largest of these counts.The count of primes in 15 is one 3 and one 5.The count of primes in 6 is one 2 and one 3.Now, we do Step #1 – Count the number of times each prime number appears in each of the factorizations….Notice that the different primes are 2, 3 and 5.Prime factorization of 5 is 5 ( 5 is a prime number).

